Final Destination: Sonic Style
by thedarkhasfallen
Summary: When Amy sees everyone's death on the rollercoaster, "Hotshot to Hell", the fun is only beginning. Let the ultimate killfest of Sonic characters infused with a touch of romance begin! SonAmy. ShadAmy. TailsReam. AU and OOCness...
1. The Beginning of the End

**Final Destination: Sonic Style**

**Rated M for GORE and language, but mostly for the gore**

**Sonic and other related characters are property of Sega. No copyright infringement intended. Sorry Sega!**

**I don't own Final Destination. I am not related in any way to Final Destination or it's owners. Sorry!**

**I don't recommend reading this if you are a touch queasy or weak stomached. I'll give ya a heads up before the chapter if it gets messy. NO CHUNKAGE PLEEZ!! XD Thanx. Oh yeah, Ch 1 has a part that's a touch on the graphic side (blood and guts type thing). HEADS UP!**

**The idea for this story was concieved on 4/6/08 during a Final Destination marathon on TV.**

**Please enjoy! R&R is GREATLY appreciated!**

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Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

"You've gotta be frickin' kidding me!" I groaned at Sonic as I glared through my pink bangs at the slightly daunting roller coaster in front of us.

"Nope, not at all." He laughed in the face of danger.

"That thing is giving me the flying metal death trap feeling." Shadow shared my feelings for "The Hotshot to Hell".

_Too damn of an ironic name for a fricking roller coaster for me. _I thought angrily.

"If you are all gonna be complete idiots and ride that thing, can you at least let the line thin out first before you all go and kill yourselves?" Rouge asked jokingly from behind me.

"Amen." I sighed.

"Okay, alright, fine. If you have to go and ruin the fun of standing in line, go the hell ahead." Espio faked anger and folded his arms over his chest in false contempt.

"Thanks, guys." I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Anything for you, babe." Sonic leaned over and gave me a kiss.

"Sure…" I became lost in my thoughts as we walked around in the semi-light, looking for our first ride.

The carnival was in town, and every damned person in Station-fricking-Square was here. Why the hell I even agreed to go, I have no idea. I hate crowds. Screaming kids and irritatingly long lines did me in too.

_SO, WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE?? _I asked myself irritably.

"Can we get some cotton candy?" Tails asked pleadingly, practically drooling as we passed the stand. I dug three bucks out of a pocket and handed them to Tails. He took off like a rocket, shooting straight to the stall in anticipation of a sugar high.

"What the hell? Tails can get some cotton candy, but I can't throw a damn baseball at three bottles?" Knuckles yelled at me, sounding like a 10 year old.

"That game's a rip off and you damn well know it!" Sonic leapt to defend me. He backed off, retreating into a pissed-off-bigger-than-shit silence. Tails returned seconds later with a mountain of pink and blue sugar. Sonic and I took one glance at each other before grabbing a piece of the other's favorite color sugar. We crammed the piece in the other's mouth.

"Well, that wasn't a reference at all." Espio jabbed at us.

"I don't know what the heck you're talking about." I waved him off.

"Sure you don't, B… S…" Espio smiled wittily back at me.

"Ha, ha, ha, well guess what? F… U…" I returned with fire.

"OOOOOO! Someone's looking good tonight!" I shuddered at the voice. Sally the squirrel bounded up to our group.

"Ready, everyone. On the count of three, we all scream bloody murder and run." Vector plotted, rubbing his hands together.

"Hey, Sally, in case you haven't noticed, this is a private conversation, in which you are not part of." Knuckles finally got over Sonic yelling at him and calmly spoke the dismissal to Sally as if nothing was wrong.

"Huh?" Sally stared blankly back.

"Shit…" Knuckles mumbled and turned his back to us.

"ANYWAYS, I'm SO glad you guys are here." She squealed excitedly. "Especially you, Sonic." She added as her eyes became fixated on him.

_Shit was right. I gotta act fast!_

"Uhhh… Sally, do you mind getting us some popcorn?" Sonic asked, making me glad I didn't have to get her away from him. He could do it himself.

"Anything for yooooouuuu, Sonic-kun." She cooed and skipped off to find us popcorn.

"Quick, now let's get the hell out of here before she comes back." Knuckles spat on the spot Sally had been standing.

We all nodded in agreement and ran off towards a spinning wheel that lifted from horizontal to vertical, causing the rider to do at least four back flips while enclosed in a protective, padded car, "The Flaming Wheelie". We packed two of us in each car: Sonic and I, Shadow and Rouge, Tails and Knuckles, Espio and Vector. Sonic sat behind me in the car so I would feel safer. He knew I hated most rides and even this one was a stretch for me.

"It's gonna be okay. I'll make sure of it." He whispered in my ear as the operator pulled the door to the car closed. I tensed nervously as the operator yanked down hard on the door and looked inside at us. He grinned at us, showing his rotting teeth. I felt nausea start to creep up on me and covered my eyes with my hands. I heard the operator let out a creepy, devilish laugh. Sonic laughed back and I groaned weakly. Then, I felt Sonic's hand grab my own. He pulled my hand away from my face and forced me to look at him. "Trust me." He flashed me his signature grin, so I had to believe him.

Then, the car jerked forward as the center wheel began to turn. I swallowed a scream and looked behind me. Tails's eyes were huge as he looked pleadingly at the operator. I was halfway surprised when the operator waved at Tails in a friendly way. This time, when he smiled, his teeth were a shiny white.

"Huh?" I pressed my face against the bars in confusion.

"Fake teeth, Amy." Sonic chuckled. Sure enough, the operator had a fake set of teeth in his hand.

"Oh." I slapped my forehead in embarrassment.

"Here we go! Come on, Tails, put your hands in the air and wave 'um like you just don't care!" Knuckles yelled to Tails, even though they were in the same car together.

"Are you insane?!" Tails screeched and I heard scrabbling from their car.

"Tails, you're gonna kill the both of us, stop it." Knuckles calmly told the kitsune.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Tails moaned as he slumped against the side of the car. I looked to the car in front of us, watching as Vector struggled to stay squished up so he wouldn't crush Espio.

"This damn thing better hurry up before I shoot myself." I heard Vector groan.

"It'll be over in approximately two minutes, just chill." Espio stifled a laugh.

"Just chill, my ass!"

"Vector! There are kids in the area!" I yelled out of my car.

"Sorry, my butt!" He added.

I shrugged it off, feeling the machine beneath me begin to groan from the pressure of keeping up the rotation. Then, the wheel gave a huge shudder as it began to rise up from its horizontal position and a slightly muffled version of "Nine Thou (Grant Mohrman Superstars Remix)" by Styles of Beyond beat out from the loudspeakers around the perimeter of the ride.

"Here we go!" Sonic yelled excitedly.

"Say your prayers!" Shadow's voice hollered out from the car two behind us. With each rotation, we reached a higher point off the ground than before. I closed my eyes tight, hoping it would be over in a few seconds. But, closing my eyes didn't stop the alien back-flipping sensation from seeping into my spine.

Seconds later, Sonic's grip on my hand tightened.

"Look, Amy! We're flying." He whispered in my ear. I opened my eyes long enough to look out of the car at the blur of trees, lights, people, as we whipped past them all.

"Yeah… it's pretty from up here, huh?" I asked, losing my fear for the moment. He wasn't paying attention anymore and was making faces at Tails and Knuckles. I sighed and continued to stare out into the blur.

_Weird how a whole different perspective on something changes the way you look at it… _I thought wistfully.

Suddenly, the wheel gave another groan and began its slow descent back to the ground. I cast one last longing look back up at the full moon, praying the rest of the night would go as smooth as the first ride. The machine gave one last shudder as it returned us to our horizontal starting position and began to slow us down. Surprisingly, I didn't feel dizzy and I actually felt giddier than before.

Finally, the wheel halted and the doors to our cars flew open, allowing us an exit. Seven of the eight of us walked out perfectly fine, but a certain yellow kitsune flew straight for a trashcan.

"Remember to aim!" Knuckles called after him, laughing hysterically.

"Knuckles, it's not that funny. He could puke his guts out!" Rouge glared at Knuckles as she scolded him. "Tails, are you okay?" Rouge called after Tails. The poor fox lifted his head up only for a second to give us the thumbs up sign before his cheeks bulged again and he lurched forward, nearly falling into the trashcan. I winced slightly, feeling sorry for him.

"Tails." I called to him. He didn't look up this time, keeping his head down in the can. "I'm coming to clean you up." I walked over to him and took a handkerchief out of my purse.

He finally stopped puking and sat down next to the trashcan among the wrappers and paper littered about the area.

"Feel better?" I asked him as I bent down next to him. He nodded and gave me the slightest hint of a smile. I wiped his face gently with the hankie, making sure I got every trace of half-digested sugar from his face. "Well, good." I smiled at him and patted his head.

"No more rides after eating." He groaned as he stood up again. I got to my feet as well and we walked back to the group.

Sally had managed to track us down again. I slowed as Tails and I approached.

"What's wrong?" Tails looked up at me worriedly.

"Sally." I breathed, clenching my fists in anger.

"Oh." He recognized her too.

"Where WERE you guys?! I got your popcorn." Sally turned towards us, extending a small red and white striped carton to each of us.

"No thanks." We both said together. When she gave us a hurt look, I sighed and looked in Tails's direction.

"We had a bit of a stomach problem." I mumbled convincingly.

"Huh, well that's too bad. More for me, I guess." She shrugged and popped a piece in her mouth.

"Mister Sonic, Miss Rose!" I whipped around to look into a welcome face.

"Hey, Vanilla." Sonic and I said together and ran to hug the rabbit.

"Cream, your friends are right-?" Vanilla started to tell her daughter, who was no longer at her side. "Cream?" She looked around blankly.

"Here, Mother." Cream's singsong voice called out to us as she floated down to us from above.

"What have I told you about flying in public?" Vanilla scolded Cream.

"Not to fly unless it is absolutely necessary." Cream looked down in embarrassment.

"Exactly, now let's try to follow that rule."

"But, Mom! You were walking too fast, and I was going to be left behind." Cream objected.

"Hush now, Cream." Vanilla said tiredly. Cream mumbled something about a 'control freak' and returned to her mother's side.

"Hello, Mister Sonic, Miss Rose, Mister Prower, Mister Knuckles, Mister Espio, Mister Shadow, Miss Rouge, Mister Vector, and Person-I-Don't-Know." Cream listed our names off in fake politeness. We all knew it was just a charade she was forced to keep up around her mother. I smiled to myself.

"Hello Cream and Vanilla." We replied as politely as we thought necessary. Vanilla cleared her throat, as though she was expecting something else.

_Freakin' uptight prep. She's gonna screw Cream up for life._ I slightly narrowed my eyes at Vanilla.

"Dude, check it! The line's as thin as it's gonna get!" Knuckles suddenly yelled. We turned our heads towards the main attraction. The line for "The Hotshot to Hell" was way down.

"Well, Cream and I are going to head over to the "Mini Mount Everest", right honey?" Vanilla nudged Cream gently.

"Yes, Mother." Cream scowled down at the ground, obviously wishing she could suddenly grow another foot so she could ride the 'big kids rides'.

"The path to that ride goes right under "The Hotshot", so look for us when we take off." Sonic told Cream. She smiled a touch at that.

_Sonic knows just the way to make a kid happy._

"Well, how do you like that? We'll be sure to wave to you when you pass over us." Vanilla promised.

"Okay then, see you on the flip side!" Sonic said as the two turned their backs to us and walked away. "Well, what're we waiting for? Let's get over there!" Sonic's voice was raised an octave in excitement.

A minute later, the eight of us once again stood side-by-side in front of the huge roller coaster. Sally stood slightly in front of us, hands on her hips as if challenging the metal beast before her.

"I _still _don't have a great feeling about this." I mumbled to myself.

"Probably some half-ass built, broken down, piece-of-shit, gonna-fall-apart-the-second-I-step-foot-on-it roller coaster." I heard Shadow mutter beside me, becoming slightly glad I had someone who was even just a little on the sane side.

"Well then, you 'fraidy-cats can just stay here and watch us scream our heads off." Sally snarled back at us. I glared in response, ready to jump up and kill her then and there.

"No, I'm going to try." I choked down a smart-alleck remark.

"Me too, now that I get up close, I want to take the challenge." Rouge studied the twisty ride before her.

"That's the spirit, Amy." Sonic put his arm around my shoulder. We got in the line together and began the relatively long wait to board the ride.

When we got close enough to hear the roar and screech of the beast, I started shivering and I couldn't shake the feeling that something absolutely terrible would happen. Then, as one train screamed by, everything stopped. A white beam of light flashed across my vision, and suddenly, everything had a reddish tint, even the sky.

**All nine of us were on the roller coaster. I looked to my right; saw a flash of a hissing flexible pipe as we started off, already at least 50 feet above the ground. I found myself unable to scream for the operator to stop the rise to the fall. Then, the hose flicked out hard, snapped several wires. Sparks went flying and I heard something snap on the train. **

**Sure enough, just as we were about to go over the drop, the hydraulics and the brakes fell off of the train. The brakes, obviously heavy enough to hurt someone, weight increased by the fall, crashed straight into and through the track below. I grabbed for Shadow's hand and held on tight as we began our all too-quick descent towards Hell. **

**Knuckles got the bright idea that if he and Vector grabbed onto the beams above us when we hit the first tunnel, they would be able to slow the train down enough to stop it in between two hills. When they forced their bars off though, all of the bars on the train shot up, so we weren't secured in our seats anymore. They stood up on the sides of the train and held out their hands, but the bright idea didn't turn out to be so bright. Their hands were chopped right off of their arms, leaving only stubs in their place, blood gushing out like a fountain. Vector was knocked off from the force of the impact, thrown under the train by sheer force, and sliced open like butter with a hot knife, showering us with blood. **

**Knuckles jerked back down, howling in pain and struggling to hold on to the side of the train. Rouge leaned over and tried to grab his arm before he was crushed between the wall and the train. She was unable to save him and Knuckles's blood ran the silver sides of the train red. **

**Espio reached across to pull Rouge back inside, but sat up too high and was beheaded on a crossbeam. His headless body fell back into the car, while his head rolled over the side and onto the track. **

**The train hit Espio's disembodied head and nearly derailed, but only jerked forward for a second. But that one jerk sent Rouge flying into the crossbeams. She managed to fly through the beams, but when she saw open air, she flew up too early and clipped her wings on the tunnel's exit. She plummeted to her death at least 150 feet below. **

**Then, the coaster corkscrewed, shooting Tails out of the train like a rocket straight onto the tracks. His shoelace got stuck in between rails and he was trapped. The train rammed through Tails at 100 miles per hour, his body exploding like a bomb just went off inside him. **

**Then, the train shot up the first loop. The four of us left managed to hold ourselves in just barely. When the ride flipped upside down for the last part, however, **

**Sally's hand slipped from Sonic's grip and she fell onto the tracks below, snapping her neck and back, instant death. **

**Sonic held on with all of his might as the track ran over the spot where the path to "Mini Mount Everest" ran under us, the spot where the track was broken. Sonic leapt over the front of the train and positioned himself to try and stop it, but the train bowled right over him, wheels grinding as they made mince meat out of his body. **

**The train derailed and threw Shadow and I out of the train and onto the path below. The train, however, came down right on top of Cream. When the train hit the ground, it also tapped a highly sensitive gas valve, causing an explosion as the pure oxygen reacted to the sparks already flying from the cut wires. The explosion engulfed Vanilla in the blaze, burning her body like marshmallows left too long over a campfire. The explosion also sent debris flying. **

**Shadow turned too late and was impaled on a tree branch. Milliseconds later, a smaller branch impaled my arm and pinned me to the grass. I struggled as I bled out on the ground, until the second explosion swallowed me in pure hell.**

"Come on, Ames. Pull your shoulder bar down." Sonic whispered from behind me.

"NO, NO, NO!! The breaks are shot on this damned thing! Get off of this thing or you'll die!!" I screamed and fought as the operator tried to pull the bar down over my head.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but when you enter the car, you can't get off." The operator explained tiredly.

"Please, LEMME OUT!!" I yelled and refused to let him put the bar over me.

"Just let her off, sir." Sonic said kindly.

"Alright, then. Whole row, up and out, you get first pick on the next train." The operator gave up trying to force me to stay on the ride. I gratefully stepped onto the exit platform on my right, still near tears. But when Sonic pulled the bar down over his head, I began bawling.

"NO, PLEASE DON'T GO, SONIC!! YOU'LL DIE!! THE BRAKES WILL FALL OFF!! LISTEN TO ME!!" I screamed, tears flowing from my eyes as I ran back to him.

"Hey now. Take it easy, everything's going to be all right." He reassured me.

"No it's not! I _saw_ it. We all died on this ride!" I yelled. Sonic had no idea what to say at that point. He knew that _seeing _something usually meant a glimpse of the future. But, he also knew that I didn't usually have the power to gaze into the future. "Please listen to me, Sonic." I cried softly.

"Sorry, Amy, I'm already locked in. I'll see you on the other side." He grinned at me as the train lurched forward and started to leave the platform. "Take care of her for me." He told Shadow with a wink.

"Watch Rouge for me." Shadow shot back. Sonic nodded and gave us the thumbs up.

"Oh God, no. Don't let them die." I begged to the sky. "Tails, take off and find Cream and Vanilla. Get them the hell off of the path to "Mini Mount Everest". I don't care what it takes, just get them off of that path!" I ordered. He whirred his twin namesakes around like a helicopter until he rose into the air. "Hurry." I added as he turned to the path and began to fly towards it. "Who do I have here? Vector, Tails, Shadow…"

"What did you see?" Shadow's voice was commanding and his eyes were intense, but I stood my ground.

"I can't say because I'm not totally sure if it will happen and it's horribly gruesome." I stared up into his eyes. He stared back, eyes saying "Why should I care about someone as pathetic as you?".

"Uhh… guys… I just heard… screeching…" Vector said quietly.

"You've got to be joking." Shadow grabbed my hand and the three of us ran outside together.

_Please, let my vision be a mere warning. Please, don't take them from me…_


	2. Hellfire Eyes

Chapter 2: Hellfire Eyes

When I saw the train start to go up the lift hill, I ran as close as I could to the giant metal beast. Shadow followed close behind, making sure I wouldn't do anything rash.

"Oh… shit…" Shadow's gaze fell to the track over the path. Sure enough, the track was broken and the train wouldn't make it over without killing a few people.

"It's happening." I muttered.

"That happened in your vision, right?" He turned his eyes on me. I was unable to tear my eyes away from the train. "Listen to me!" He grabbed my face and turned it towards him. He wiped the tears off as they fell. "Tell me what happens next. We can try to stop it." He whispered to me soothingly. Screams from the train reached us and our ears flicked as we turned towards the sound. "No…" He mumbled.

"KNUCKLES! SIT BACK DOWN!! YOU'RE GONNA GET KILLED IF YOU-!" At that exact moment, Knuckles was crushed between the wall and train when they entered the tunnel, a slight alteration of the vision. "NO, KNUCKLES!" I screamed as his entrails, one arm, and face fell from the tracks and onto several passersby and the ground, splattering Shadow and I with blood. "Oh God no!" I moaned.

"Don't you dare look at that! DO NOT let that be the last memory you have of him!" Shadow grabbed me and pulled me into a hug, facing me away from what was left of Knuckles. I felt Shadow's hold on me tighten as more screams came from the out-of-control train.

"Wh-what happened?" I asked.

"Espio's not in the train anymore, there's only blood in his seat. Rouge is…" He choked up and started shaking.

"Shadow, I-I'm sorry." I stuttered and cried harder. I tore away from Shadow's grasp and ran under the tracks, trying to follow the train, figure out some way I could stop this true hotshot to hell.

"Amy!" Shadow called after me and caught up to me within a second. Only Sally and Sonic were still alive, but they were going to hit the broken tracks. Sonic leapt out, just like in my vision, and tried to stop the train.

"NO SONIC!! DON'T DO IT! DON'T, PLEASE! SONIC, DON'T TRY TO STOP IT!" I screamed up at him while trying to prevent Shadow from turning me away. It was then that I saw the pole that went through the back of the train and straight into the car Sonic was hanging off of. Sally was wriggling like a worm on a hook. She was only barely alive, bleeding profusely from her chest wound. The other side of the pole went through her and pinned her to the train, so she had no escape. Sonic glanced up for a moment when he heard me. His blood-splattered face was grave and he shook his head at me. "NO SONIC DON'T!!" Sonic blew me a kiss and mouthed 'I love you' to me. "SONIC!!" I cried out and fell to my knees as he jumped in front of the train and curled up in a ball to form an impenetrable block in the train's way. The front two cars ran right over Sonic, but he stopped the train from going any further, no matter how hard the wheels strained over his body. Then, the couplings holding the second and third car together snapped and the front of the coaster lurched forward one more time before finally screeching to a halt. Sonic's efforts to save at least one life turned out to be in vain as Sally's feebly twitching body gave its last shudder as life escaped her. In the middle of the twisted metal and splintered wood, lay our fallen hero, Sonic.

"Amy, don't…" Shadow paused, letting go of me and deciding to let me do as I wished. I didn't look back at him as I jumped up and began to climb up to the tracks.

_Maybe he's still alive…_

When I reached the top, I realized it was too late to save him. A sharp fragment of metal was embedded in his chest, in his heart and possibly his lung. His body heaved and shuddered with the effort of breathing, once an easy task for him. I grabbed his gloved hand and wiped some of the blood from his face, whispering comforting words to him even though he couldn't hear through the fog of unconsciousness. When I felt him start to take his final breath, I leaned over and kissed him gently.

"I love you." I told him quietly as I gave his hand one last squeeze. His fist clenched as my hand left his, but then relaxed for the final time. I gave him one last longing look through my tears as I climbed back down to the ground.

Shadow looked over at me when I reached the ground again. His eyes were now an odd red-brown-golden color and he looked like he had glimpsed behind the gates of hell.

"Oh, Shadow." I sobbed and ran into him. I buried my face in the white tuft of fur on his chest. He was stunned at first, but then put his arms around me protectively. "Why did they take him from me?" I cried into him, voice slightly muffled by his fur. Shadow only sighed emptily. I looked up into his hellfire eyes one more time, feeling like a child compared to him. But surprisingly, his hellfire eyes had tears in them too. He gave me a tiny smile and wiped the tears off of my cheeks.

"No one took him from you, Ames. He's still here." His voice had a softer edge than usual. Sirens wailed in the distance as the emergency vehicles began to arrive. Storm clouds had appeared, framing the moon in pure darkness as thunder rolled across the sky. A white beam of light illuminated Tails like an angel as he flew back down to meet Shadow and I.

"We all should have listened." Tails said quietly.

"Listening isn't a skill you can acquire on a whim." Vector hissed at Tails.

"Well, you can try, right?" Tails exclaimed angrily, his tear-streaked face forcing Vector into silence. "It all could have been prevented." He shook his head in anguish. I stared up at the moon in silence.

"Come on, we'd better get out of here." Shadow muttered as reporters started to close in. "Keep in touch with each other, watch the news, listen for my call on the time."

_The time for the funerals…_

"I-I'm so sorry for your loss, Amy." A familiar hand on my back, no matter how sorry the adult was, wasn't enough to stop the tears from being shed. Cream's quiet sobbing only made it worse and I couldn't bear to turn around and look at the mother and daughter, whose deaths Tails, Sonic, and I had prevented. I longed to scream at someone though, to vent on somebody. Sonic's very words at that moment would have been, "I pity da fool who messes with Amy!" I let my mind escape focus as Shadow told Vanilla what he had told Vector, Tails, and I.

With no place to refocus on without launching myself into a catatonic state, I brought myself back down on Shadow's damned hellfire eyes again. Sonic's face kept flashing past my mind's eye, driving me close to insanity, not that anyone could tell, since I was just staring blankly at Shadow. I saw Tails walk slowly away from the group out of the corner of my eyes, towards the emergency vehicles gathered around the coaster. I turned my head and watched Tails look for something, someone. He looked like he found it because his face darkened. Then, I watched him ask the paramedic something and reach inside of one body bag. He slightly pulled up on it, showing me a flash of red fur.

_Knucks._

Tails held Knuckles's limp gloved hand in his and stared into the body bag, probably into Knuckles's deep purple eyes, if they were still open. Tails closed his eyes and bowed his head, tears falling like liquid diamonds into the body bag. After a moment, Tails gently placed Knuckles's hand back inside the black bag and the medic zipped it up. Then, Tails started shaking as he approached another body bag.

_Sonic._ I guessed in my head. He wasn't shaking with Knuckles, so any of the others wouldn't be that big of a deal.

My heart ached as I saw him take one glance into the body back and then burst out sobbing hysterically, falling to his knees and pounding his fists on the metal cart raising the bag off of the ground. It hurt too much to continue watching Tails's breakdown, so I looked back at the group.

Vanilla and Cream were gone, leaving only four of us left. My head throbbed and my chest felt like some bull had gone crazy inside of my ribcage.

_I wanna go home and go back to sleep so that when I wake up tomorrow, I'll see Sonic and the others again 'cause this whole thing is a damned dream! _I thought as I pinched my arm hard.

"OW!" I yelped. Shadow instantly turned, his eyes locking onto me.

"Making sure you're awake?" He questioned, giving me an understanding look. I nodded sadly and gazed at my arm as it turned pink where I pinched it.

"Okay… I'm ready to go." Tails said as he approached us from behind. His voice wavered slightly from his cry-fest.

"See you tomorrow, Tails and Vector." Shadow and I waved to the two as they left.

"Bye, Shadow." I turned to leave.

"Oh no you don't, you're staying with me." He knew I would be going home to an empty apartment.

"Are you sure?" I looked over my shoulder at him.

"Yeah." He nodded slowly as he walked up beside me. "You alright?" He asked as I shivered again, flashing his hellfire eyes at me AGAIN. I shook my head and bit my lip to prevent myself from crying. Unsure of what to do, he watched me with an air of curiosity about him.

"What?" I barked at him, angry that he was studying me at my weakest. "I'm, like, dead, okay?"

"Stop being dead, keep breathing, because I can't shake this feeling that the pillage has only just begun. Enjoy life now, because I don't think Death's through with us just yet." Shadow turned his eyes away from me as he spoke. I stared up at him in half-fear, half-wonder.

_I hope he's wrong about that._

"I think today was only the beginning…" Shadow trailed as the moon was snuffed out behind the storm clouds as easily as the five lives were snuffed out earlier that evening. The light left me wondering if my life really was incredibly fragile.


	3. Sense of a Spark

**A/N: Sorry I didn't give a heads up in the last chapter! (winces) I'll try to pay attention better next time... Anyways, I would like to thank EVERYBODY who faved/alerted/reviewed the first two chapters! THANKS SO MUCH!! You have no idea how much I appreciate it. **

**I am not related in any way to the musical artist mentioned in this chapter. Lyrics are property of HIM. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Sorry for the OOCness... (shrugs) It works though, right? XD**

**Thanks again for reading! Here's Chapter 3 for ya!**

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Chapter 3: Sense of a Spark

"This one's mine." Shadow said quietly as he motioned to a black convertible with white racing stripes.

"Nice car." I mumbled, wandering over to the passenger's side.

"Thanks." He scowled at it as he spoke.

_What's up with that? Why wouldn't he like that beast of a machine? Does it have something to do with… oh… it must have been a 'welcome home' present from Rouge…_

I sniffled slightly as I thought about it.

"Are you getting in or not?" His voice brought me back down to earth. He was already in the driver's seat and he looked ready to get out of there. "Do you need to stop by your place to get stuff?" He asked as I opened the door gently and sat down on the black leather seat.

_This would be hell in the daytime._

I nodded and slammed the door shut. In one liquid movement, he buckled in, grabbed his keys out of his pocket, shoved the key in the ignition, and cranked the car. The car purred as its engine came to life. I buckled in and faced forward, trying not to look over at him and increase the awkwardness of the situation.

"We should all try to stick together until we get through this, at least." Shadow said as he shifted the convertible into drive and pulled out of his parking space.

"Yeah." I murmured emptily.

_We have no leader anymore… That's probably why Shadow's trying his hardest to keep everyone from going over the edge…_

"I hope you know… I-I'm not trying to take Sonic's place… I just don't want chaos to come crashing down, is all…" Shadow explained, gripping the steering wheel harder as he said Sonic's name.

_Say something back, Amy!! Shadow was, like, one of his closest friends. We were both close to him… _

"Well, someone's gotta keep everyone in reality, right?" I asked. His features softened as he thought about this.

"I suppose you are correct."

_It's a start, I guess._

"Top down, or no?" He asked, loosening his grip a tiny bit.

"Either one's fine with me." I replied.

"Music or no music?" His eyes flicked over to me for a split second, then returned to the road.

"Music."

He powered on the CD player. It wasn't a surprise when "Buried Alive By Love" by HIM began pulsing from the speakers.

"Sorry." He apologized and went to press 'eject'.

"No, wait." I grabbed his hand before he could push the button. His head jerked over at me and a look of slight surprise crossed his face. "Sorry." I quickly let go of his hand and returned it to my lap, feeling blood rise to my cheeks.

"_Again the burden of losing rests upon my shoulders  
And its weight seems unbearable  
Your tomb is where your heart is,  
I should have told her  
But within me hid a secret so terrible"_

"Leave it, it's fine." I reinforced my point.

"Alright then, I just never would have expected Amy Rose to listen to so-called 'Gothic Rock'." He smirked as he took a sharp right turn and leaned with the car. I found that little trick hard to accomplish, eventually giving up on it.

"I'm not a usual listener, but occasionally, I like to hear something with a little more meaning to the lyrics." I stated half-defensively.

"_To cry is to know that you're alive  
But my river of tears has run dry  
I never wanted to fool you, no  
But a cold heart is a dead heart  
And it feels like I've been buried alive by love"_

Shadow sang along in a deep alto voice, hitting most of the notes with ease. After seeing him comfortable with singing in the car while another person was there, I relaxed a little and started to sing a high soprano part. The lyrics seemed to hit Shadow hard and I watched as a small tear ran down his muzzle. Seeing someone so strong impacted so hard by the situation made me feel like shit because it gave me an excuse to lock myself up somewhere and hide for the rest of my damned life. I couldn't help but shed a tear or two with him.

"_If I should die before I wake  
Pray no one my soul to take  
If I wake before I die,  
Rescue me with your smile_

_If I should die before I wake  
There ain't no one my soul to take  
If I wake before I die,  
Rescue me with your smile"_

The heavy guitar riffs were pleasing and energetic, making the ride more enjoyable. Shadow was more than welcoming and I couldn't help but lighten up.

"If _I_ wake before _I_ die, would you rescue me with _your_ smile?" I asked bravely. Shadow thought for a moment about the question.

"Yes." He replied with a smirk. "I would save you."

"Likewise." I said, not really knowing if he wanted an answer to that question.

"Well, then, Miss Rose, we've got each other some sort of protection, now don't we?" He flicked his blinker on and switched lanes to get out from behind a slow car.

"I guess so." I said meekly, embarrassed that he had called me "Miss Rose".

"_The kiss of vanity blessed me with a spiritual murder  
And fed the gods of war insatiable  
Your home is where the dark is  
I should have told her  
Embrace the fire indestructible"_

"Where do I turn?" Shadow said as he wiped his muzzle of the liquid diamonds.

"Two more blocks." I mumbled softly.

"Okay." He drove slower and looked to the side of the street where I gazed.

"There." I pointed at the large brick building before me.

"More warning next time, kay?" He laughed and slammed on the brakes. I opened the door and practically leapt out of the car. "Want me to come in with you?" He asked, sounding sincerely concerned. I nodded and he also got out of the car.

"_To die is to know that you're alive  
And my river of blood won't run dry  
I never wanted to lose you, no  
But a cold heart is a dead heart  
And it feels like I've been buried alive by love"_

We entered the building quietly, even though most people were still at the carnival. Two silver elevator doors opened up to greet us and we walked inside, Shadow's Jet Shoes sounding remotely like Sonic's Soap Shoes. I shook my head, trying not to remind myself of him, trying to keep myself buried in shock. He glanced over at me questioningly, but faced forward again when I didn't make eye contact with him. I clicked the button labeled 'P' for penthouse and watched the doors shut Shadow and I away from the world. A faint rumble of thunder barely reached us through the layers of concrete and metal protecting us from the outside world. Shadow's ears flicked at the noise.

"_If I should die before I wake  
Pray no one my soul to take  
If I wake before I die,  
rescue me with your smile_

_If I should die before I wake  
Pray no one my soul to take  
If I wake before I die,  
Rescue me with your smile"_

_Ping._ The doors opened again, allowing us to step out. With an unsure step, I put my foot outside the elevator. Shadow walked out without hesitation. I feared walking inside the apartment and not seeing Sonic rush up to me and wrap me in his arms. We walked down the hallway in silence. Then, Shadow stopped directly in front of the open part of the walkway. Immediately, the wind blasted us with moist cold air. I shuddered at the touch, but noticed that Shadow didn't move an inch. He held his hands up in the air and I watched in amazement as he froze the scene outside. He then reached out and grabbed a raindrop that was suspended in mid-flight.

"Hold out your hand." He said. I obeyed and held them out to him. He placed the raindrop gently in my hands. I closed my fist around it. Then, he closed his eyes and the world launched itself back in motion. He said nothing about why he gave me a raindrop or why he stopped time. "Someone once told me that for every raindrop that falls, there are hundreds more tears being shed at that exact moment in time. I was also told that crying is healthy for you, that crying makes one feel _alive_…" He told me without looking at me to see what my reaction was. A flash of lightening illuminated the blackened sky.

"_And they say to cry is to know that you're alive  
And my river of tears has run dry  
I never wanted to fool you, no  
But a cold heart is a dead heart  
A deserted soul is gone  
A cold heart is a dead heart  
And it feels like I've been buried alive by love"_

"Miss Rose!" I whipped around to see who was calling me. Shadow turned as well, an expression of moderate interest on his face. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were with Sonic." It was one of our elderly cat neighbors. Mr. Garrett gazed questioningly up at Shadow. Then, he glanced back at me. He must have seen the dark look cross my face. "Who is this young chap? And where's Sonic?" Mr. Garrett asked.

"This is my friend, Shadow. He's also a friend of Sonic's. As for Sonic, well…" I stalled, trying to figure out the best way to put it.

"If you watch the news tonight, you'll know." Shadow said for me. Mr. Garrett glared at Shadow accusingly. "If you don't believe me, turn on your TV right now and I assure you, within the 10 seconds following that, you'll know." Shadow just glared right back.

"Very well then, come inside, the both of you." He motioned inside and walked in. "Honey, turn it on Channel 7!" He yelled at his wife. Shadow waited for me to walk in first, and then shut the door behind him as he entered.

The Garrett's apartment wasn't nearly as big as mine, but was spacious enough to entertain eight people. The living room was painted a bright yellow in a remotely successful attempt to make the room seem livelier. A large TV took up most of the space on one wall, while two chairs and a couch faced it on the other wall. I took a seat in one of the chairs, while Shadow leaned against the left side of it. I acknowledged the greetings from Mrs. Garrett with a quick nod, attention almost completely fixated on the TV screen before me.

"Today at the Station Square Carnival, the roller coaster, "Hotshot to Hell", malfunctioned in a deadly way. The brakes fell off of the infamous ride and crushed the tracks below, causing a series of attempts to save the riders. Though heroic, these actions could not save the lives of Knuckles the Echidna, Espio the Chameleon, Rouge the Bat, Sally the Squirrel, and Sonic the Hedgehog. Eyewitnesses said that four riders exited the ride after Amy Rose began to yell that the brakes were shot. These four are Vector the Crocodile, Miles "Tails" Prower, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Amy Rose. Eyewitnesses also say that moments after exiting the ride, Amy sent Tails to get Cream the Rabbit and Vanilla the Rabbit off of the path underneath the ride. A similar freak accident occurred last year onboard Flight 249 which sparked a series of freak accidents, killing everyone except Manic the Hedgehog." I had heard enough. Feeling more tears rise up on me, I ran out the door and into the hallway, leaning over the ledge. I squeezed my fist tighter around the raindrop and considered taking the leap.

"_If I should die before I wake  
There ain't no one my soul to take  
If I wake before I die,  
Rescue me with your smile,_

_If I should die before I wake  
Pray no one my soul to take  
If I wake before I die,  
Rescue me with your smile_

_I've been buried alive by love  
I've been buried alive by love  
Buried alive by love  
I've been buried alive by love  
I've been buried alive by love  
I've been buried alive by love"_

"AMY!" Shadow yelled and rushed out. In a split second, he grabbed me by the shoulders and threw me back into the hallway. "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" He shouted at me angrily. I cowered against the wall in pure fear of him as he clenched his fists. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING? THAT I'M JUST GOING TO LET YOU KILL YOURSELF? SONIC TOLD ME TO TAKE CARE OF YOU AND YOU THINK I'M JUST GOING TO BLOW OFF HIS LAST ORDER!"

_What have I done?!_

His fists unclenched when he saw the tears.

"Shadow, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry… I j-just don't wa-want to believe it." I cried softly.

The anger was gone from his face and he crouched down beside me. He picked me up off of the ground and cradled me against his chest like a small child. He took me to the end of the hallway to the door labeled 'penthouse'. I handed him my key and he pushed it in the lock and opened the door. He set me gently on my feet again. I flicked on the light and he shut the door gently behind him.

"Hey…" He started. I didn't turn around. "Look at me!" He grabbed my arm and turned me around.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST LET ME DIE?" I screamed at him, venting.

"BECAUSE I CAN'T LOSE ANYONE ELSE!" He answered with equal fury. I was instantly silenced and just stared dumbly into his eyes. After a moment of standing in the doorway, I hugged him. He hugged me back, gently stroking my tangled quills, effectively calming me back down. "It's gonna be okay, Ames." He whispered in my ear softly. I smiled softly at these words. He released me and I let go of my savior.

"Just give me five minutes." I said. He nodded. "You can get some food or whatever…" I muttered as I wandered off into my room.

The cream-colored sheets were inviting, but I didn't want to crash and leave Shadow waiting endlessly for me. My head spun as I looked across the room at the matching dressers, which were adorned with pictures of various members of the gang. I picked up one of Sonic and I hugging on the beach. I smiled sadly and placed it back on the dresser. I dug through my dresser and picked out random clothes, not really caring what I chose. Then, on a whim, I opened Sonic's pajama drawer. I picked up a pair of blue and white boxers, and then grabbed a loose fitting white race t-shirt. I pulled Sonic's old duffle bag out of the back of my closet and threw the clothes inside carelessly. Then, I raided the bathroom for essentials and dumped all of that crap in too. Finally, I sat down on the bed and looked inside Sonic's nightstand. My jade eyes fell upon a silver necklace with a heart-shaped pendant.

_Huh? What's this? He never showed me this before…_

I gently withdrew the necklace from the drawer. Noticing a note underneath it, I grabbed that too and frowned slightly as I found a clasp on the pendant. Nervously, I opened the pendant, gasping as my eyes fell on a small version of one of the pictures on the dresser. The camera faced Sonic and I as we stared out together towards the setting sun. The picture was great, the both of us having a natural smile on our faces, instead of the usual forced grins. My hand started shaking as I went to pick up the note. I opened it with great care, like it would fall into dust with a sudden movement.

"Dear my Amy,

I decided that for your birthday this year, I'd get you something more memorable than a too damn traditional b-day cake and all that classic shit. No, this year, I got you a terribly small version of my own heart. Now you can wear this close to your own heart and know that no matter where you are, I am with you in spirit. Through it all, thick and thin, I'm right here, by your side, and in your heart.

Forever yours,

Sonic"

I let out a sob and closed my eyes tight, not willing to accept the fact that the note may have been the last thing Sonic ever wrote. Then, even though no window was open and the air conditioning wasn't on, I felt a cool breeze stroke my face gently, heard a familiar voice whisper the words 'I knew'.

"You knew?" I sobbed, not caring about Shadow hearing me in pain any longer. The whisper came back again.

"But, I love you."

I glared around the room with blood-shot eyes from crying so much.

"I love you too." I replied hesitantly.

"Still, you must move on."

"Move on? How can I?"

No reply.

"DAMN IT!! HOW CAN YOU TELL ME TO MOVE ON WHEN YOU STOLE A PIECE OF MY HEART AND RAN OFF WITH IT?" I screamed, violently breaking down.

No reply.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it." I muttered over and over, still on the verge of imploding.

No reply.

I breathed through my teeth before yelling again.

"HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME?"

_**NO DAMNED REPLY!**_

I struck out blindly, feeling something crack on impact. I collapsed face first on the bed and cried hard into my pillow.

"H-how co-could you?" I moaned softly, punching the bedding weakly.

_Am I going insane?_

"May God strike me down where I lay." I growled into the pillow. But, He never did… He never did…

_Remember what Shadow said… That crying makes you feel alive…_

I picked myself back together and sat up tiredly, taking note of the cracked wood headboard. I wiped my face of the tears, glancing at the raindrop in my hand. Without really thinking, I placed it inside of Sonic's nightstand drawer. I gently placed the necklace and note inside the duffle bag. I zipped it up and threw it over my shoulder. Without looking back, I shut the door on our room.

"Ready?" Shadow asked, looking behind him as I shut the door. I nodded slowly. "After you." He motioned to the door and held it open for me. I walked out and he followed. In a blur, we exited the apartment building and hit the road again.

I reawakened from my dim state when Shadow eased into a parking space near his apartment building. The car's engine switched off, but I didn't bother to look across the console at Shadow. He got out and I slowly opened the door and tiredly dragged my bag out of the car.

"Need help?" He asked and offered a hand to take the bag. I handed him the bag and watched him with an empty expression as he tossed it over his shoulder like it weighed as much as a feather. We started towards the building when Shadow suddenly thrust his hand out, blocking my way.

"What?" I growled in annoyance.

"Media." He muttered. "Shit… we'll have to use the back entrance." He started to walk in a wide arch from the building. I followed doggedly. "Stay close. Pretty freaky shit goes down in the back." He warned. I nodded, not really paying attention. Then, an evil cackling erupted from the back of the alley. Shadow held a hand out in front of me protectively. "Show yourself!" Shadow yelled into the darkness. A male human clothed in rages and caked in mud limped out of the darkness and let out another laugh. Shadow ran his hand through his wet quills, pushing them away from his face.

"Got any money on you?" The man giggled.

"Why the hell does that matter to you?" Shadow hissed threateningly. The man moved closer, obviously not taking the hint.

"Willing to give that girl up?" The man asked, eyes hungry. I shuddered and moved further behind Shadow.

"Hell no." Shadow growled.

"Am I gonna have to use force to get what I want? Or are you gonna give it to me without any violence?"

"You obviously have no idea who you're screwing with." Shadow snarled as sparks erupted from his palm as Chaos began to gather around him.

"It doesn't matter who I'm screwin' with as long as I get what I want." The man took another step forward, towards us.

"Take one more step and you'll find yourself without memory." Shadow warned, knowing full well how precious memory really is. I put my hand on his shoulder encouragingly. He glanced back at me for a split second, gave me a half-smile, and then raised his hand to attack.

"Bring it on, hedgehog." The man rushed us.

"CHAOS BLAST!!" Shadow unleashed the energy in a protective orb emanating from his body. The blast didn't affect me, but sent the man flying. "Run!" Shadow yelled to me and I took off for the fire escape he pointed to. "Seven!" He shouted after me as I leapt up on the second floor deck. Shadow moved his arm in a sweeping motion, and Chaos followed in a burst with exactly the same curve that his arm had taken. Shadow jumped up to the same deck I was running across. "Come on, let's get the hell out of here." He offered me his hand. I took it and climbed on his back. "Hold on." He warned. I tightened my grip around his neck as he leapt up and grabbed the floor of the seventh deck. "Go on." He grunted, struggling to hold up my weight, the bag's weight, and his own weight with one hand. I grabbed the bag and used his back as a ladder to crawl up onto the deck. I tossed the bag towards the door and reached down to Shadow.

"Here." I said. He grabbed my hand and I helped him onto the deck. "Thanks." I mumbled, standing up and watching him brush a touch of dirt from his fur.

"No problem. You alright?" He asked.

"Yeah." I replied, looking over the edge. The man was nowhere in sight.

"Welcome to my place." He snorted and opened the door. I dragged my stuff inside and he walked in after me.

A few minutes later after I had set my stuff up in the guest bedroom, I wandered into the living room and sat down on the leather couch. I sank in and watched Shadow cut up some fruit.

"Feel free to look around." He said without looking up from the pear he was cutting up. Accepting the invitation, I padded across the plush white carpet towards the mantle of the fireplace. It was adorned with various pictures of everyone. A particular series of shots caught my eyes and I picked up the frame. The pictures looked like they had been taken in a photo booth at the mall. In the first one, Sonic was grinning brightly, while Shadow stood behind Sonic, glaring angrily at the camera. Next, Sonic was hanging from the ceiling laughing and Shadow flashed his smile. Then, Sonic and Shadow held up finger guns and stood back to back, facing the camera. In the next shot, Sonic crossed his eyes and shoved his finger in his ear while Shadow stuck out his tongue and pulled one eyelid down. I smiled at these and placed them back in their place.

_Sonic really got Shadow to loosen up a lot._

I glanced over my shoulder at Shadow, his concentration fully on not chopping his finger off. I sat back down and waited for the food. After a second or two, Shadow set the plate down and sat down next to me while grabbing an apple slice and cramming it in his mouth. I grabbed a peach slice and glanced to my left, to the door. I noticed a bunch of luggage leaning against the wall and I cocked my head slightly at it, wondering why it was there. I shrugged and returned to eating.

After the midnight snack, we wandered into the hallway leading to the bedrooms and bathrooms.

"Well, if you need me, Amy, I'm in here." Shadow said jerking his thumb over his shoulder bluntly.

"Alright then, good night, Shadow." I yawned.

"Night, Amy." He said shortly and turned to leave.

"Wait, Shadow." I stopped him abruptly, remembering something.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks... for everything." I said nervously. He didn't reply for a moment, thinking about the words spoken

"It was my pleasure." He said coolly. "Good night, Amy." He glanced over his shoulder at me, eyes blazing.

"G-good night, Shadow." I stammered slightly.

_Jeez, what am I so nervous for?_

I walked into my appointed room and shut the door on the rest of the world. Doggedly, I plopped down on the bed and kicked my shoes off into a corner.

_Now if I actually can get to sleep, it will be a freakin' miracle._

I carelessly threw back the sheets and climbed inside without changing into pajamas. Sleep almost instantly overtook me, despite my disbelief, and I gratefully fell into Sleep's loving embrace.


	4. Early Warnings

**A/N: Hey again! Thanks SO much to everyone for the reviews again! I LOVE feedback!! And yet, I have some explaining to do, it seems...**

**This story will not be totally based off of _Final Destination 3_. Sorry, but I just can't do that. It's copying and it's boring to just make the Sonic characters go through Final Destination. And yes, that freak in the back of the alley has something to do with this and he will reappear!! AHHH!! There's my little glimpse of the future for the day. Anyways, I can't do it, so... SORRY! XD**

**Thanks again for all the reviews and hopefully this chapter's okay!**

**Thanks for reading! Enjoy!!**

**-Swift-**

* * *

Chapter 4: Early Warnings

One week later…

I let out a low growl as a sudden burst of light pounded through my eyelids and ripped me out of sleep.

"Nooooo…" I moaned into the pillow and turned over.

Movement. Then, I suddenly had no pillow anymore. I jerked up and opened my eyes.

"What. The. Hell. Shadow?" I yelled angrily.

"Wake. The. Hell. Up. Amy." He laughed back and threw the pillow at me. I caught it and put it back under my head, closing my eyes again. "Seriously, Amy. Get up." He wasn't laughing anymore. I looked up from the pillow. Shadow's face was grave and he seemed to know…

_Shitty night of sleep, what with all of the nightmares…_ _Does he know about the dreams?_

"I've been doing some research on the Flight 249 thing over the past week…" He told me, not looking at me as he spoke.

"The 249 Incident? Why?" I asked, blinking the sunspots out of my eyes.

"Because this has happened before." He threw several articles down on the bed. I picked one up, glanced at the headline.

Freak Accident kills 4 out of 10 Teens on Plane…

"Look at the next one." I obeyed.

_Teen from 249 Accident dies in Freak Blaze…_

"What is that supposed to mean?" I looked up at him, confused.

"Keep going." He still wouldn't look me in the eye.

249 Victim's Life Claimed in Elevator Accident…

_Flight 249 Survivor Drowns in Attempt to Save Others…_

_Explosion Claims 2 Survivors of 249 Incident…_

_The Last Survivor of 249 Incident…_

"That last guy, Manic, was the one who originally saw the vision that saved the six that listened." Shadow stared at the picture of the green hedgehog with wild quills and a cocky smile. "If you read further, it actually has the events that took place in his vision. Also, it says that several people have made the connection that these victims all died in the order they were supposed to in the premonition." My eyes widened at this statement and my thoughts were instantly directed onto who would be the next to die, if my situation was anything at all like Manic's.

"Vector." I mumbled, feeling a shadow eclipse all of the remotely close to happy moments Shadow and I had shared in the past week.

"Is that the person who died first?" Shadow's eyes finally jerked up and locked with mine. I nodded, suddenly fearing we were too late. "We need to go… We'll get breakfast on the way back…" He ran out of my room with those words. I launched myself out of bed and slammed the door. I quickly took off my pajamas and threw on a white and pink t-shirt and a pair of pink sweatpants. I ran my fingers through my quills in haste and slipped on the silver necklace. I opened the heart, took a quick look inside to make sure Sonic was still there, and then ran out into the living room.

"Shadow!" I called to him when I didn't see him in the living room.

"Front door!" He yelled back and I ran to the front of the apartment. I met his eyes, which had returned to their usual red-brown color, and he threw the door open. "We'd better hurry, since we don't know how much time he's got left." Shadow rushed out into the hallway and slammed his fist down on the 'down' button for the elevator. "Lock the door!" He added as I shut the front door to his apartment. I quickly whipped around and locked it like he told me to.

"Are you sure my situation is the same as Manic's? I mean, we don't have anything to base our assumptions off of other than those articles and the… the roller coaster thing… but still, how can we be so sure and give out false warnings like that?" I asked as I ran to his side.

"We can't really be sure, but I'd rather see someone heed our warning and have nothing happen than we ignore that person completely and let them die." Shadow said as he stepped inside the elevator.

"Yeah." I agreed and walked in beside him. He pressed the 'L' button for lobby and the elevator wretched down. He was completely calm when it did this, but my mind flashed back to the headline that read "249 Victim's Life Claimed in Elevator Accident" and I freaked. "SHIT!" I screamed, nearly having a heart attack.

"Calm down, jeez!" Shadow hissed at me. The elevator lurched to a stop and I clamped my hand over my mouth to stop myself from screaming again. The doors slid open slowly and I practically flew out into the lobby. Shadow made his way out calmly, enraging me. "Let's go save somebody's life." Shadow smirked as he took his car keys out of his pocket. We exited the apartment building and ran into the parking lot. Shadow leapt inside the convertible and cranked it while I hopped in the other side.

Shadow whipped his ride around hard and slammed his foot down on the gas, shooting us off towards hopeful heroics.

When we arrived, I jumped out of the convertible while it was still moving and ran to the front door of Chaotix Headquarters. I banged on the door hard while Shadow parked the car.

"VECTOR!! VECTOR!! OPEN THE DOOR, DAMN IT!!" I yelled and pounded both fists on the door.

"What do you WANT?" He yelled as he threw the door open, nearly breaking it off of its hinges as it slammed into the wall behind it. I heard something else shatter and water splash on the floor and winced slightly at the noise. "WHAT THE HELL IS IT?" He yelled angrily when I didn't answer immediately. I looked down for a second and caught sight of a red-eyed Charmy hiding behind Vector's leg.

"You're in danger." Shadow said coolly as he walked up the rock path that led to the front door.

"Psh… yeah, right. I've already escaped Death, like, five times since the thing at the carnival." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Seriously, Vector, you need to take the proper precautions." I urged him.

"Why should I? I like living on the edge anyways." He turned to slam the door in our faces.

"Damn it, Vector! We don't want you to die too! We're only looking out for your best damn interest and you just blow us off?" Shadow slammed his fist on the wall of the house.

"You just want me to waste myself away in a hole like that Manic kid." He glared at us viciously.

Waste himself away in a hole like Manic? What does he mean by that?

"Vector, do it for Charmy." I muttered quietly as he grabbed the door.

"What did you say?" He asked, a halfway-insane gleam in his eyes.

"Do it for Charmy." I said through gritted teeth, knowing full well he heard me the first time.

"Charmy doesn't need anyone to take care of him. He can survive on his own, thanks to Espio's training." Vector looked down at the bee. Charmy's eyes went wide with fear and agony at the reminder. "Besides, if you say I'm going to die… Wait a sec, why the hell do _you_ even give a shit what happens to me?" His eyes darted between the two of us.

"Vector, don't you remember all of the crazy crap we've done together?" I asked, slightly confused as to why he would even ask a stupid question like that. "What happened to all of the Christmases we all spent together? What happened to saving the world together? What in hell happened to our entire lives?" I took a step forward and put my hand on his arm to try to invoke some memory of the years past.

"Lies." He muttered.

"Huh?" I suddenly realized a huge mistake. I quickly jerked my hand back and narrowly avoided Vector's bite.

"C'mon Amy, let's get out of here. Vector's obviously too screwed up in the head to realize we're trying to help him." Shadow pulled me away from Vector's 'chomp zone'.

"Look who's talkin' Mr. My Memory's Gone and I Blame the World for It." Vector taunted as we started down the rock pathway. Shadow stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of the path.

"Shadow, leave it! If he wants to die, then let him." I grabbed Shadow's shoulder and tried to keep him moving away from Vector.

"We'll see you at the funeral tomorrow, Vector." Shadow hissed through his teeth. The door slammed shut with a bang that disturbed a flock of pigeons in the forest. The birds flew up and out of the cover the trees provided in a huge black mass and made their way towards the city. Shadow stared after them intently, his thoughts unreadable through his facial features.

"WHY CAN'T PEOPLE LISTEN?" I yelled, disappointed by how bad the effort went. "ESPECIALLY when they're IN DANGER!!" I added after a second of thought.

"He's in denial… Hopefully, he'll come to his senses by tomorrow and manage to 'avoid death' like he said he did 'like five times already'." Shadow scoffed, still watching the birds.

"What ARE you looking at them for?" I asked, voice still raised in agitation.

"I don't really know. Not that I really know anything anymore… I just get this feeling… It's probably nothing…" He wiped imaginary dirt off of his shoulder. Suddenly swinging back into the calm, I followed his gaze to the birds.

"What do you think it is?" I asked, wondering why in hell he was getting a bad feeling from a bunch of damned birds. Then, as if the feelings were rubbing off on me, I felt a shiver go down my spine, but I couldn't shake it off.

"Like I said, I don't know, but whatever it is, it's incredibly likely that it's bad." Shadow snorted and turned his back on the birds. "C'mon, let's get out of here." He continued walking down the path, unlocking his car and jumping in. I followed him and approached the passenger's side. I grabbed the chrome handle and held it while I took one last look at Chaotix and the birds. Then, I shook my head and hopped into my seat. Shadow revved the engine and we took off, leaving a huge plume of exhaust in the driveway in minor retaliation.

"What about food?" I said abruptly after my stomach rumbled again.

"Next exit, we'll get off and find something." Shadow mumbled in concentration. Remotely crowded highway faced us, nothing Shadow could not handle however. He frequently switched lanes and sped up, sensing that hunger could send me spiraling into another mood swing. I lightly sighed, so Shadow wouldn't hear me, and leaned against the door. He picked it up though, his ears flicked. He let his eyes glance over at me for a split-second before returning them to the road. "Sorry." He muttered almost inaudibly.

"I'm just bored and hungry and disappointed, is all." I explained the sigh lazily. "No need to say sorry."

"Here we go." Shadow said, sounding a little grateful as he pulled into the right lane and prepared to get off the highway at Exit 49. I heaved a sigh of relief and sat up straighter. After briefly looking around at the selections, we decided on McDonald's.

"Let's go in!" I exclaimed as we drove into the entrance lane. Shadow nodded and pulled up to the curb. I hopped out and watched as Shadow turned the key back and silenced the motor and climbed out of the car. I quickly flipped open my cell phone and checked the time. The white numbers against the dark background of a picture of Sonic and I read 11:30. "Well, it's about lunch time, so why don't we just get lunch instead?" I asked, trying desperately to dull the immediate heartache that ensued. I bit my lip and looked up from the device, slightly surprised to find Shadow standing directly in front of me.

"That's fine, but are you?" His eyes seemed to narrow as they analytically assessed my face. I didn't answer the question, turning away and half-stomping into the building.

Shadow caught up to me in line, not really making any effort in the process.

"What're you getting?" I asked him, a slight edge in my tone.

"Hell, I don't know." He replied, staring up at the brightly lit blocks that made up the menu. "You?"

"I think I'll get a cheeseburger and a small fry."

"Damn…" He muttered.

"Huh?" I turned around to look at him.

"Are you TRYING to starve? Damn…" He chuckled, his eyes running quickly down my figure.

"NO, I'm not. How am I _supposed_ to eat?" I growled in half-annoyance.

"Like this…" He started as he stepped in front of me to show me 'how it's done". "I'll have two Big Macs, a cheeseburger, a large order of fries, one large Coke, and one medium chocolate milkshake." He listed in a matter-of-fact way. I stared after him as he moved aside to allow me to order. "Hey, a hedgehog's gotta eat." He shrugged and flashed me his grin.

_How does he keep so thin if he eats like a frickin' pig whenever he goes out to eat?_

I shook my head and looked back to the cashier.

"I'll have a cheeseburger, a medium fry, and a medium Coke." I said timidly. Shadow handed the cashier the appropriate amount of money, even after I had begged him to let me pay. After five minutes, I got my food and sat down at a table, away from the screaming kids and moaning parents. After ten more minutes, Shadow carefully sat his tray down on the table and cracked open his first Big Mac. Since I was almost done, I didn't realize when I started watching him eat.

"Why are you watching me ingest food that is horribly unhealthy for me?" He asked, wiping his face with his forearm.

"I-sorry." I quickly shifted my eyes elsewhere, to my own food. I was full after eating the cheeseburger, and cramming the rest of the fries that were left would take some serious effort. I leaned back for a moment to allow some of the food to digest.

"McDonald's is a good hangover breaker." Shadow said, not really to me, but to the world.

"You act like you've had experience with that." I eyed him with false suspicion.

"I don't know why you'd insinuate that." He said sarcastically.

"When?" I probed for answers.

"On the ARK a week before the attack, the Professor invited me to the success party and offered me a drink or two, but was too drunk himself to remember the count after two." Shadow laughed bitterly, remembering a mistake that may have destroyed Maria before GUN got to her.

"Sorry." I muttered.

"What do you want to do tomorrow after the… uhh… thing?" He asked, covering his mouth with his hand to avoid spitting chunks of Big Mac and fry on me.

"Sit on my ass and throw a pity-party-slash-sob-fest." I stated bluntly.

"Sounds like a damn good plan to me." He closed his eyes and savored another bunch of fries. "What to share?" He took a sip of his milkshake and offered it to me.

"Sure." I nodded and grabbed another straw, tearing it open and shoving in the cup next to Shadow's. I took a swig and swallowed the creamy lusciousness, knowing I would regret it in the morning, but not really caring. We ended up finishing off the milkshake together within a minute.

A few minutes later, Shadow had completely destroyed the array of food and had even asked for a refill for the road on his Coke.

_Damn him for his high metabolism!_

Later on that evening, I found myself falling asleep on Shadow's couch watching football. Shadow, though, was on his laptop across the room, doing God-knows-what. Ignoring him for the most part, I flipped on my other side, refusing to watch TV anymore. In order to prevent myself from dreaming about the funerals tomorrow, I decided to fall asleep fast, slay myself quickly and destroy consciousness, where thoughts could be impacted by a mere degree change in temperature. Obliteration came and swiftly struck me down where I lay. I fell asleep with Big Macs and chocolate milkshakes dancing in my head.


	5. Absolute

**A/N: THANK GOD I'M DONE WITH THAT CHAPTER!! -wipes forehead of sweat- DAYUM (translation: DAMN) that took me a long time! I apologize for the wait. -winces- Don't kill me! I have a reason for it! I was 1) recovering from a lumbar sprain (I tore a muscle in my lower back) recieved while playing soccer 2) studying for EOCTs (End of Course Tests) and 3) I still have finals this week -curses-. So anyway, I'm sorry. And another thing...**

**I would like to give a shout-out to all of my great reviewers (in the order of their first review): Project Shadow, Elys, RyuuseiRazgriz, ShadowFan100, SUPER SIX FOX, DarkShelby101, Zap the Hedgehog, Trigga Happy Saiyanayo, Memories2share, and Naruto the Hedgehog. THANKS SO MUCH EVERYONE!! You make my day whenever I see a new review up there or look at the past praise for it. Once again, thank you and please, keep it up.**

**Warning: This chapter has gore... though it really isn't as bad as the past chapters. -shrugs-**

**Well, I hope you enjoy! **

* * *

Chapter 5: Absolute

The next morning, my eyes fluttered open, but I forced them back shut, knowing what was to come.

_I guess Shadow brought me in here when I fell asleep._

I turned over on my stomach and pressed my face deep into my pillow, refusing to believe I was living in this hell. Then, someone finally spoke up from the chair on the other side of the room.

"It's happening, Amy, and the both of us have to let it go today." Shadow said, a hint of sorrow in his voice.

"No, it's not happening, you're not here, Sonic's not gone, and I'm just dreaming." I snarled and refused to pull my head out of my pillow.

"Amy, you're gonna have to accept it; you can't keep pretending to be schizophrenic. Get the hell up and face facts, they're dead." Shadow growled angrily.

"NO THEY'RE NOT!!" I screamed and leapt from the bed, hands outstretched to close around Shadow's neck. He grabbed my hands and forced my arms down at my side.

"THEY'RE DEAD, AMY!! DEAD AND GONE AND NEVER COMING BACK!!" He yelled, eyes starting to show slight flecks of gold as his mind drove itself straight into that night a week and a day ago. I stopped struggling and stared numbly at him with eyes as big as saucers. Realizing how he was holding me, he quickly released me and walked out, slamming the door and leaving me in his wake. I merely stared after him, the words he spoke to me still ringing in my ears.

"DAMN IT!" I yelled suddenly and slammed my fist into the nearby wall, leaving a nice hole inside. No tears came, for some strange reason unknown to me.

_Why does he have to be right?_

Muttering curses and fuming with anger, I burst from my room and stomped into the kitchen. I tore into the freezer and withdrew a quart of mint chocolate chip ice cream. I gathered a spoon from the utensil drawer and returned to my room. I slammed the door and remained just inside the doorway holding the carton and spoon, staring emptily at it. Then, I heaved a sigh and went back out and replaced the ice cream and spoon in their places.

_I might need that later._

And still, the tears didn't come.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" I mumbled as I took hold of the silver heart I wore around my neck. Abruptly, faint sounds of music mused into the room. My ears flicked as I struggled to locate the source of the tumbling roll of the piano and the gentle stroking of the violin. The beautiful noise was coming from Shadow's room.

_Odd…_

Curiosity invoked, I gently pushed open my door and padded across the carpet towards Shadow's cracked door. I prodded his door lightly to get a better look inside. On the floor sitting cross-legged, was Shadow. His eyes were fixated on a photo that rested on his palm. The music, I assumed, was flowing from a tiny wooden music box that lay open on his desk behind him. Suddenly, the music stopped playing and Shadow jerked his head up from the picture. I shrank back quickly from the door and tiptoed quietly back to my room. I stealthily shut my door and receded to my dresser. I numbly shrugged out of my sweatpants and t-shirt. I drew a long black dress from the bottom of the dresser and slipped it on. Elegant though it was, I made it more form fitting by tying a white sash around my waist. I gently ran a brush through my quills, soothing my mind back down to a more manageable level. I slid my feet in a pair of comfortable straw sandals.

"You really are a mess, Amy Rose." I told myself as I glared into the mirror neighboring the dresser. Then, the same weird feeling I had experienced outside of Chaotix returned. I shrugged and ignored it blatantly. Deciding to give Shadow a little boost into getting ready to go, I walked out and knocked on his door. Just as I took the gold doorknob in my hands, Shadow tore the door open and ripped it out of my hands.

"I'm ready, I'm ready…" He growled in annoyance. I looked him over quickly. He now wore a black tuxedo with a white undershirt.

_Classic._

"You forgot one highly important feature." I noticed.

"What might that be?" He asked.

"One word. Bowtie." I said, attempting to incorporate a touch of humor unsuccessfully. I went into his room and dug around in his top drawer until I found a black bowtie. He obliged and allowed me to put it on him. Once I finished, I began to step back to examine my handiwork, when Shadow placed a hand on my shoulder. I stopped and cocked my head at him curiously.

"I'm sorry… for waking you up like that." He looked straight into my eyes as he spoke.

"It's… okay." I mumbled as he released me, staying in place about a foot from him. His eyes seemed to freeze me to the spot, convince me that I didn't need to be anywhere else, as they gazed fiercely upon me. After a minute, I finally managed to learn to move again, taking a step away from him and turning to head into the living room.

"You forgot one important feature as well." He suddenly spoke up and stopped me dead in my tracks. I looked over my shoulder at him, wondering what I could have forgotten. "Headband." He said. I returned to my room and retrieved a black headband to match the dress. When I walked back out in the hallway to put it on, Shadow's hand stayed my own as I reached up to slide it on. "May I?" He asked with a sly smile. I nodded and handed him the band. He gently slid it over my head and then took it from where it hung around my neck and pulled the front up to the crown of my head. I pulled my signature three quills back out of the hold of the band and allowed them to stick out and hang slightly in my eyes.

"Thanks." I murmured, feeling a heavy wave of numbness coming over me like an eclipse.

"Very nice, if I do say so myself." Shadow attempted to smile, but stopped about halfway between the two extremes. "Come on, we need to be there a little early anyway." His expression sank like a submarine. He headed out into the living room and I peeked around the corner to observe him silently. With a deliberate look on his face, he picked his laptop up off of the side table he was working at the night before. He carefully slid it inside of a black leather briefcase and carried it out the door with him. I knew better than to question what he was doing, since it was not knowledge I was supposed to possess in the first place. I sighed and evacuated my hiding spot to locate my purse. I found it under a ton of random stuff in the floor of my room, go figure. I quickly slung it over my shoulder and ran out to the elevator where Shadow waited ever patiently for me.

"Is everyone going to be there?" I asked, skirting around directly calling attention to the funerals in any way, shape, or form.

"They should be, though they aren't necessarily obligated to attend." Shadow said with aggravating tranquility. The elevator doors opened with a ping as usual and allowed our entrance. However this time, several other individuals peered out at us scornfully from the elevator. Shadow leaned over my shoulder and placed his mouth at my ear, causing it to flick involuntarily. "Keep close and keep me between you and them." He said in a low whisper. Obeying, I allowed Shadow to step inside first and place himself between me and the others in the car. I followed and stopped just six inches from Shadow, then turned around to face the doors. I became rigid and held my breath until the doors opened again to the world. I fast-walked out of the car and stood against the wall to the right of the elevator to wait for Shadow. He appeared seconds later, having allowed some of his neighbors to exit before him.

"Are you planning on saying anything?" I asked, once again beating around the bush.

"Of course." He replied, not going any further. I didn't push him. We walked out of the apartment and to his convertible. As he fumbled for his keys, I glanced around the parking lot nonchalantly.

Nothing was out of the ordinary and it was a peaceful scene in the city. Two bikers rode by on silver and red bikes, one occasionally bumping the other's back tires playfully. Few cars were on the road just beyond the complex and the few that did pass were inconspicuous.

"Are you going to just stand there all day?" Shadow asked as I tore my eyes from the area. I slid inside the car wordlessly, looking straight down the entire time.

Time slipped away from me and I couldn't have cared less. I didn't realize how much time had escaped me when Shadow pulled over the train tracks with a loud rumble and into the funeral home parking lot; I just knew it was later in the day. Before I knew what was happening, I felt Shadow's hand on my elbow, guiding me to the door of the beautifully dreadful funeral home. Twisted bleach-white columns rose out of a brick porch to meet us, and a white awning opened up to twin white wooden doors with six clear panes of glass on each. The entire building was created from dark red bricks and dull gray mortar. It was all too crisp to be real, in my opinion, the pain too clear, and the reality of it all too pressing to be true.

_It's really happening. Sonic's dead._

"Shadow…" His name was the only thing I could manage as the edges of the world became apparent and began to close in on me, framing my pitiful existence in black. Fatigue or fear overcame me and I lost all mobility, feet freezing in place as if I was cemented in.

"Amy. Amy? AMY!" Shadow yelled suddenly as my weight became too much for my jelly-filled legs to handle. I fell into him without any more warning to him than my feet refusing to move. His hands moved from my elbow and slid under my arms to allow for an easy descent. When he got me to the ground, he sat me up and pulled a water bottle out of his briefcase. He tried to gently pour water into my mouth, but I clamped my mouth shut stubbornly. "Okay, if that's how you're going to be, I'll just have to cram it down your throat. You're probably dehydrated and even if you're not, water can't hurt." He seized my jaw with his right hand, forcing me to the pavement with his right elbow while holding my face. In one deft movement, he jerked my lower jaw down and shoved the bottle in my mouth. Forcefully, he tilted my head upward and gently ran his fingers down my throat, causing me to involuntarily swallow. I nearly choked, sputtering and blubbering pathetically. He kept forcing water down my throat for a few more minutes in the parking lot before I finally jerked away from him, almost cracking my head on the pavement as I rolled away.

"You asshole! Why'd you do that!?" I screamed angrily, cheeks feeling fiery.

"Humph, back to hating me, are you?" Shadow snorted tauntingly and stood so that he was taller.

"WHY'D YOU DO THAT!?" I yelled and flew at him in fury. He saw it coming and dodged with incredibly agility to the right. With a war-like cry, I sprang forth at him again, this time a little faster than he had expected. I tucked my shoulder in and slammed into him full force. The sound of the impact was like a gun went off near my eardrum, inducing immediate throbbing. I practically bounced off of him, unharmed for the most part. Shadow fell to the ground and back-flipped to his feet again. As he stood again, I knew I hurt him by the way he rose. An ever-so slight tremor rippled up through his body as he reached his crouch. He paused for a split second before continuing to rise. Several more tremors shot up through him as his spine reached its maximum height. I realized I had made a huge mistake and let the grief get the better of me. "Are you alright?" I said, voice cracking in shame.

"Yeah." He replied shortly, obviously irritated with me. I looked at his face, his eyes. His eyes were narrowed slightly and a drop of blood ran from the corner of his mouth down his muzzle. He reached up and wiped the blood away with his forearm. He walked over, picked up his suitcase, and grabbed my arm again, tiny tremors shooting out with every movement. He led me to the door as if nothing had happened. A white tiger in a tuxedo opened the door for us and we quickly nodded at him as we passed to express our thanks. As we crossed the dimly lit threshold, I glanced back at Shadow. His brow ridge had fallen in remote annoyance and anxiety.

"I'm… sorry." I mumbled to him as we took the first left at a sign that had an image of a boy and girl on it reading 'restrooms' underneath the image, our shoes making almost no noise on the soft green carpet. When we reached a dead-end at the back wall of the hallway where there was almost no light, Shadow grabbed my shoulders roughly and pinned me to the wall. I didn't struggle, but stared at him like a deer in the headlights. His eyes locked with mine and he eased up a little, but not enough to let me go.

"Okay, I understand how hard with is for you, but you've got to hold together for at least a couple hours. Then when we get home, you can break apart all you want." Shadow said in a low voice to me. I nodded my understanding to him, feeling helpless and alone suddenly. "But now, Sonic needs you to stay strong." The last sentence he uttered made me freeze and stop nodding. A wave of numbness slid over me as a wave of tremors crashed into Shadow. He shook before me as I remained absolutely still, the complete opposite actions of each other. Shadow released me and stumbled back into the right wall. He pressed his back into the wall and his hands searched for something to support himself with. He shut his eyes and tensed, seemingly resisting something.

"Shadow." I said pleadingly and lightly touched his shoulder. He shrank away from the touch, but didn't attack. "Please, Shadow." I quickly hugged him. Instantly, the tremors strengthened in frequency and power as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

_So, that's why he was making sure I was all right in the parking lot, he just needs to be touched! Who knows how long he's been alone?_

Suddenly, I felt his hands shaking harder as they moved up my back to my shoulders. He opened his eyes momentarily as his hands reached my neck and paused. Shadow's eyes filled with gold and he closed them again.

"I need this. I need th-this." He whispered hoarsely by my ear, causing it to flick involuntarily. His hands remained around my neck, invoking fear within me.

_Is this the end? Will he kill me here and now?_

Then, Shadow's hands moved up to the back of my head, melting all reserves I had about him as his fingers gently caressed the back of my neck and head. Slowly and hesitantly, Shadow and I moved our heads closer together, until his lips were a mere millimeter from my own. Suddenly, both of our ears flicked as noise from the main hallway penetrated into our hallway. We both froze and even Shadow's tremors stopped. Shadow opened his eyes and removed his hands tenderly from me. My cheeks burned as I blushed and Shadow's muzzle turned pinkish on his cheeks. A scowl returned to his face as he turned away from me and headed out to the main hall. I ran into the restroom and leaned against the marble counter, panting heavily.

_What's my problem? Sonic's my boyfriend, not Shadow._ I scolded myself. However, a small voice in the back of my mind spoke up defiantly. _But, Sonic's gone and he would want you to move on. Right?_

I groaned in anguish and felt a strong temptation to crack my head on the counter. Instead, I meandered out into the main hallway, forcing a miniscule smile on my face. Finding the cream painted hall empty other than several couches with various low-key floral designs on them and many glass vases with dozens of different kinds of flowers harbored in them, I sighed and walked to the front door. When he saw me approach, the white tiger from before held the door open for me again.

"Hello, Miss. Glace at your service. What can I do for you today?" He introduced himself with a bow.

"Well Glace, can you tell me where the black and red hedgehog I came in with went?" I asked politely.

"Mister Shadow, you mean?" He cocked his head at me as he spoke. I nodded. "He went to the cemetery to help set up the service."

"Thank you." I said and turned to go back inside.

"If I may ask, what is your name? I would rather refer to you as that than just 'Miss'." He asked.

"Amy. Amy Rose." I replied, turning back around to look at him.

"Very well, Miss Amy or Miss Rose?"

"Miss Amy, please."

_Only Shadow can call me Miss Rose._ I growled in my mind.

"Anything else I can do for you, Miss Amy?" He asked, doing his job.

"Yes actually. Can you give me a rundown of how this day's going to play out?" I requested informally.

"Well Miss Amy, first we'll allow around 30 minutes for the guests to arrive. Then, visitation will begin and last for around two hours. Mister Shadow requested the visitation and the funerals to be held within one day, in case you wanted to know. Afterwards, lunch will arrive, catered by Applebee's, once again a request from Mister Shadow. Later on, the funerals will be held together in a sort of five-in-one ceremony, since there are so many." He explained eagerly.

"Thanks, Glace. Also, are there any guests here other than Shadow and me?" I asked, wondering what interrupted us.

"Well, several non-important guests have arrived. However, they're just overly obsessed fans. Otherwise, only Miss Vanilla and Miss Cream are here." He said with a bored expression on his face.

"One last thing. I'd like to go ahead and get my visitations done before more people get here. What room are they in?" I exasperated.

"Visitation Room W, will that be all Miss Amy?" Glace replied and smiled at me.

"Yes, thank you Glace." I said and nodded to him.

"It was my pleasure." He said obediently.

"Could you give me updates on the guests present every so often?" I asked suddenly.

"Of course, Miss Amy."

"Thanks." I turned on my heel and walked back inside. "Visitation Room W, Visitation Room W." I muttered to myself so I wouldn't forget as I padded to the designated room. After a moment or so, I walked right past the open double doors reading 'W'. However, the instant I passed it, I did a double take and turned back around. I stood reluctantly in the doorway, eyes narrowing as they fell over two closed and three open caskets. I shook myself into moving and walked inside slowly, taking in my surroundings and trying to get my mind off of what I had to do.

The carpet was exactly the same as the hallway, but seemed to be in better condition. Two large floral couches stood off on the far right end of the room behind a maple coffee table holding up a vase filled with various white, yellow, and violet flowers. The walls were painted a fading cream, reminding me of fading memories.

Now thoroughly depressed, I slowly approached the first casket, this one with its heavy mahogany-embedded-in-steel top closed. A sign written in beautiful script to the casket's left read 'Espio the Chameleon'.

I bent my head and thought hard, trying to project my thoughts to the afterlife.

_Espio, I'm terribly sorry we never got the chance to know each other better than acquaintances. I'll regret it forever._

I shuffled over to the next casket, this time open. I was slightly surprised to find Rouge in an open casket, based on the way she died. However, 'they' made her look like she was merely sleeping, despite probable horrific injuries beneath a gorgeous white dress.

_Rouge, you must have really tried hard to expose Shadow to reality, because he's desperately trying to find it now. I hate that you two are now separated by the horizon. However, would you forgive me if he became attached to me? I hope so, because I fear that the current situation may pull us together. Please forgive me._

I kept moving down the line, starting to feel terrible as regrets that I had long since buried without second thought crept from the grave and seized me by the throat. The next casket was open as well; containing Sally in a white dress not unlike the one Rouge was wearing. I paused and placed a hand on the side of the casket woefully.

_Sally, I'll forever regret how I treated you all those years. I should have given you another chance to be my friend, but instead I shut you out. I'm so sorry._

The next casket was closed and I only had to close my eyes and allow my mind to flash the last I saw of him to remember why it was closed.

_Knucks, I can't believe how good of a friend you were to me despite all of the crap I gave you a long time ago. I should be dead for how I treated you, you shouldn't._

At last, I reached to end of the line of caskets. I froze inches from being able to see his face and began to tremble.

_C'mon Amy, you'll never get another chance to say what you need to._ I encouraged myself half-heartedly. Then, I took a step forward.

Sonic's face was placid, unlike what it had been just after the accident. His eyes were closed and a small smile was on his face, as if he was dreaming about something pleasant. I bit my lip hard and at last the tears began to fill my eyes. Only one thing was out of place. I reached into the coffin and gently swept a single cobalt quill from Sonic's face.

"Would you forgive me if you died and I fell in love with another girl?" Sonic's voice from a discussion long past flowed into the room.

"Of course I would, silly! I'l want you to move on and be happy!" My answer played back in my head.

"Well, the same to you! Since that's not likely to happen on either of our ends... I love you and I always will." I winced at his doubt. A blossom of pain ripple through my memory as the scene came back. That was the first night he told me he loved me.

_Sonic, I… c-can't find much else t-to sa-say other th-than I l-love you and I al-always will._

I quickly planted a kiss on his cold lips and stumbled back away from the room, nearly knocking over everything in my path. Twin rivers of tears flowed from my eyes and blinded me as I tripped down the hallway. Delirium set in hard and I couldn't escape any longer.

_He's really… gone._

The room started to spin and I fell, slamming my forehead down on a nearby wooden table. All clarity fled from me and I rolled onto my back to try to calm back down. Placing a hand against my head, I cried out, not because it stung like a thousand scorpion's stings, but because I blew life up, big time. I hadn't savored every moment with the one I loved; I had turned away those who sought my friendship; I had broken my chances at surrounding myself with loving friends and now, I only had pieces of what could have been. Blood framed my already blurred vision with red as the sticky wetness ran down from the wound I had carelessly inflicted upon myself onto my face. Suddenly, a sob caught in my throat as the faint screeching of tires on wet pavement eerily wound its way into my ear. I swallowed and tried to clear my throat, for the most part unsuccessfully. I closed my eyes and dug both hands into the carpet to ride it out. Suddenly, an explosion flashed before my eyes.

"SHADOW!" I wailed as my eyes flew open, the image still burned into my retinas.

"Good God, Amy! What have you done?" Vanilla's voice came from behind me. I tried to turn around to meet her face to face.

"Nah-uh, you better stay still, Amy." Cream said as she stepped in front of me and crouched down to my level.

"But… but!" I struggled to stand.

"You'd better stay on the ground until we can bandage you up, Amy." Cream gently put a hand on my shoulder and forced me to stay down. Vanilla returned with gauze and a roll of bandages. I sat still obediently while she fixed the bandage to where it would be easily disguised under my black headband. The instant she finished, however, I ran as fast as I could outside, knowing she wouldn't be able to catch me for a few minutes.

"SHADOW!!" I yelled as loud as I could. A black figure appeared on the horizon and closed in fast. It caught me by the hand as it raced by, dragging me into step with it. "Shadow?" I asked abruptly. It slowed enough for its face to become clear out of the blur. Shadow's face was full of concern as he noticed the bandage, but he kept running.

"What is it?" He asked, slowing his pace even more.

"Where's Vector?" I didn't answer his question.

"Just now pulling in, why?" He glared to the parking lot. "I swear he'd be late to his own funeral." Shadow remarked.

"I saw-" Suddenly, we crashed like a speeding train into something hard and wooden. I slid a few feet from the point where we wrecked on my stomach while Shadow slid forward on his back. I dizzily looked up and took note of flying newspapers. Then, I jerked my head straight and saw the remains of a newsstand. A very angry owner yelled at us from amid the wreckage, but we didn't pay attention.

"Must've ran too far." Shadow woozily explained as he crawled over. I closed my eyes and let my head fall, and then reopened them. My eyes fell on a tiny piece of newspaper lying beneath one of my fingers. I carefully picked it up and took a look at it.

Vector.

I yelped and jerked away from the spot where I had fallen.

"NO!"

"What?" Shadow asked and snatched the piece of paper from my hands. He uttered one word before he lifted me up, cradled me against his chest, and took off sprinting back to the funeral home. "Shit!"

One minute later, Shadow skidded to a halt in the parking lot just as Vector was beginning to pull his car across the train tracks. I swallowed hard as Shadow set me on my feet again about 50 feet from the tracks. He stood next to and slightly in front of me, ready to jump in front of me if something happened. Suddenly, a skull-cracking throb pierced my mind and I fell to my knees in agony, clutching at my head and trying to tear down to the throb to rip it out.

"Amy!" Shadow knelt down beside me anxiously.

"NO VECTOR!" I managed to scream. It happened too fast…

A large flock of birds flew up in front of the brownish van Vector drove, causing him to slam down way too hard on the breaks. One half of the drive shaft fell off of the van and jammed into a grove in the tracks while the other half remained attached to the van's underside. The locks slammed down when Vector flailed at the fright of the flock. Suddenly, both bars that blocked entrance and exit to the tracks and warned oncoming cars of a train fell and a bright red light on top of the contraption began to blink incessantly.

"Shit! C'mon Shadow." I urged Shadow to get up just as my headache dulled. We ran over to the van, skirting around the barriers and barbed wire and running up beside the van. Shadow pounded on the window, but Vector shook his head and mouthed, "I can't." So, Shadow punched the driver's side window out.

"Can you get out?" Shadow asked calmly.

"Shadow, hurry. It's coming!" I exclaimed hurriedly. The train's lights were now easy to distinguish from its windows. Vector reached down and tried to unbuckle.

"It's not budging!" His voice rose higher in fear. Shadow reached in and tried to undo it also.

"What the hell do you have in there, bubble gum?" Shadow growled hoarsely. The whistle of the train gave its first warning.

"Jesus! Hurry and find a way to get me the hell out of here!" Vector ordered.

_What happened to escaping Death another time?_

The train had about two football fields left to go and it was closing the distance fast.

"Grab my arm." Shadow instructed. Vector followed while Shadow grabbed Vector's arms and enclosed them in a vice-like grip. I went around to the passenger's side door and kicked at the lock, trying to get it to open. Shadow pulled on Vector hard and Vector held on for dear life, but the seatbelt wouldn't allow Vector to move out of the car. I quickly glanced over the van to note the train's progress.

"50 yards!" I wailed and the whistle blared again. Finally, I managed to kick the lock up. The door swung open and I peered into the van. "This way!" I yelled over the rumble of the ever-approaching train. Vector managed to slip out of the seatbelt and crawl over the seat. He leapt from the van and the three of us fled from the tracks just as the train was 10 yards from the van. We were only 25 feet from the van when the train collided with it. There was only a second between the actual crash and the following explosion, but in that time Vector turned and smiled at Shadow and me threw himself at me and knelt over me protectively.

"Get down, Vector!" I screamed.

"Why?"

"You'll get cut open by the-!" Suddenly, I was cut off as a link of barbed wire flew from the wreckage and sliced into Vector's stomach, showering us with blood.

"Dammit!" Shadow swore as the link soared over a centimeter from us. We looked back at Vector where he still stood.

"That hurt." He moaned as his intestines spilled out onto the pavement.

"Shit, VECTOR!" I wailed and Shadow fell to lie next to me. I buried my head in his now-conveniently-located fur.

"Ouuuuuchhhh." Vector expelled his last breath with an expression of pain as his disemboweled body fell to the asphalt behind him.

"So much for cheating Death for the 'sixth time'." Shadow muttered and pulled me away from Vector's empty body.

* * *

**A/N: See, that wasn't nearly as bad as the first two chapters, now was it? I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please remember to review if you have a comment.**

**BTW, today's like the 26th, right? Well, that means I only have 4 DAYS OF SCHOOL LEFT!! -screams and runs in circles- I'M SO EXCITED! Guess what that means? I get more time to work on this!! YAYZ!! **

**Ooo. Look what I have! A PREVIEW TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!! AHHHHH!! (can you tell I'm excited about the school thing?)**

When he entered his apartment, it was dead silent. He froze just inside the doorway and tried to pick up _some _sound... a_ny_ sound that would signal her life still existing and her soul still gracing this planet. Seconds later, his straining ebony ears managed to distinguish the flow of water onto tile from the usual hum of the air conditioner and other household noises. Still in high alert mode, he picked up an object out of place on the edge of his peripheral vision. He padded over stealthily to investigate. His alert mode went straight from high to danger as he bent down and grabbed hold of a broken wine glass with a single drop of red dangling from the shattered remnants of the rim.

**OH SNAP!! XD**

**Thanks again for reading and to all of my reviewers!**


	6. Never Said It

**A/N: Yo fools! Nah, ya'll aren't really fools. Well, I'm pretty relieved I'm done with this chapter. I had a due date this time... -glares at friend- YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!! No, it's not any of you wonderful reviewers/soon-be reviewers/random readers. -directs voice towards friend- I FINISHED IT BEFORE YOU GOT BACK FROM CAMP!! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? -breathes- Well, now that that's over with... Thanks once again to my reviewers, I shall post your names once more with a few new faces!!**

**Thanks to: Project Shadow, Elys, RyuuseiRazgriz, ShadowFan100, SUPER SIX FOX, DarkShelby101, Zap the Hedgehog, Trigga Happy Saiyanayo, Memories2share, Naruto the Hedgehog, snowcakes, and Rae Logan! You guys are the best! Oh, how I love reviews! **

**Anyway, please enjoy this chapter and look out for the next one soon! (don't you worry your pretty little head, the next chapter will be incredibly violent! -evil laugh-) Remember to review!! XD**

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Chapter 6: Never Said It

He shouldn't have left her alone.

And he knew it.

He promised her he'd only be a few minutes to get food and other supplies, since she didn't want to leave the apartment after what happened at the funeral home and he _knew_ it would be a long time before she ever wanted to again. He had to get the essentials, but he sure as hell didn't want to leave her by herself. Yet, she told him to go.

And now, he was running late.

_She could be dead…_

Bags in tow, he softly opened the door and dropped them gently by the kitchen counter. When he entered his apartment, it was dead silent. He froze just inside the doorway and tried to pick up _some _sound... a_ny_ sound that would signal her life still existing and her soul still gracing this planet. Seconds later, his straining ebony ears managed to distinguish the flow of water onto tile from the usual hum of the air conditioner and other household noises. Still in high alert mode, he picked up an object out of place on the edge of his peripheral vision. He padded over stealthily to investigate. His alert mode went straight from high to danger as he bent down and grabbed hold of a broken wine glass with a single drop of red dangling from the shattered remnants of the rim. Out of instinct, an orb of Chaos formed in his expecting left hand. He edged over to the door of the bathroom, the source of the only unnatural noise in the apartment. He placed his right palm on the golden knob and allowed his fingers to grip it tightly as he mentally prepared himself for the worst. Slowly, he pushed the door open and tensed to fight.

Much to his relief, she sat on the tile beneath the showerhead, still clothed in her elegant black dress with a white sash, hugging her knees to her chest with her the fingers of her right hand in her mouth as she cried… and cried… and cried…

Amy

Shadow slowly walked inside the bathroom with a ball of Chaos clenched in his hand. However, when he saw me in the shower, his muscles relaxed and his brow sank, signaling me that he was trying to 'figure me out'. The sphere he held at his side dissipated as he came to the shower's glass door. Without waiting for an invitation from me, Shadow opened the door and sat down beside me while he undid his tie and stripped off his suit, throwing those just outside the door and leaving only the white t-shirt he had pulled on in place of the undershirt after we got back. I removed my fingers from my mouth and looked at them with a half-dull-half-depressed look on my face.

"It feels like there's all of their blood on my hands… and I can't get it off." I snuffled, trying to avoid sucking water through my nostrils.

"Here, let me see." He ordered softly. I offered my right hand to him and he took it and examined it for a few seconds. Finding the cuts that damned wineglass gave me when I broke it and tried to clean it up, he traced it lightly with his index finger. Then, he stuck the most injured finger, the one that was still bleeding, in his mouth. I didn't care enough to jerk away when his canines grazed the wound. After about a minute, Shadow pulled my finger out of his mouth and gazed at it again with a curious look on his face. It seemed to have stopped bleeding, as if he had done something to heal it. It sure didn't ache as much. "Better?" He asked as I slowly pulled my hand out of his loose grasp.

"Yeah." I replied sullenly, not really in the mood to talk about anything. We sat in silence for a few minutes, neither of us really caring that we were wet, tired, or in the shower with someone else.

"I want to show you something." Shadow said, suddenly standing up. I merely looked up at him, watching him, his movements. He smoothly exited the shower and stood on the rug. "Well, you coming?" He asked, cocking his head at me slightly when I didn't follow. I shrugged and stood, not as gracefully as he did, holding my sides with my hands as if I would fall apart if I let go. Just as I stepped out of the stall, I slipped on the tile, hydroplaning across the bathroom. Before I cracked my head again on the sink, Shadow caught me by the waist. "I swear to God, if there's a damn puddle, you'll find it." He teased as he pulled me back to my feet. I glared in response, grabbing a towel from the rack beside the sink. Shadow smirked and walked out into the hallway. I tried to dry myself off as best as I could, all the while half-scowling at the bathroom door. Suddenly, Shadow's head poked back through the door. "Can you possibly hurry up?" He asked with an annoyed tone to his voice.

"Can you possibly screw off?" I snarled back with venom. I placed the towel in the hamper neighboring the trashcan and ran my fingers through my quills as Shadow bit back another comment. I pushed Shadow's head back through the door and walked out, still dripping wet. Shadow growled menacingly in response, quills bristling as I strode past. And yet, he deflated the instant I flopped onto the couch without a second glance.

"You know what's hilarious?" He stepped heavily into the room, standing beside the couch and gazing down at me. I shrugged and inched away from him. He shook his head and waited.

"What?" I groaned after a minute of sitting in silence.

"The fact that you actually did something you were supposed to without me telling you to." He snickered and walked over to the TV.

"Asshole." I remarked under my breath as I folded my arms over my chest in annoyance. His ears twitched at my curse, but he didn't turn to leer at me. In fact, his hands looked incredibly busy behind the screen his body made. "What the _hell_ are you doing anyway?" I hissed.

_Aggression is my new middle name…_ I thought violently.

"What the hell I'm doing is something I hope will pull you out of your pissy-ass mood. 'Cause I swear to God, I'll kill you in your sleep and take care of Death's job for 'im if you continue to act this way." Shadow paused and spoke with all sincerity in his voice. "Besides, _Sonic_ wouldn't want you to be like this." He stated blandly as he flopped down onto the couch beside me and grabbed the remote on the coffee table. That one word, singularly uttered from his rival's mouth, made my spine straighten and my quills bristle in previously unused hell-bent rage. On the other hand, that word melted her heart and turned her legs to jelly.

"Damn you." I muttered bitterly, mood thoroughly smothered.

"That's better." He smirked and snapped his fingers, dimming the lights with his mind.

"Once again, what the hell are you doing?" I huffed at him, false anger taking the place of rage.

"You'll see." He replied, depressing the 'play' button on the remote and sank further into the couch. His ruby-caramel eyes focused in on the TV screen, so I allowed my attention to tune in there. As I zoned in, the screen flashed a picture to a single drum roll. I jumped slightly… towards Shadow. "Jeez, calm down." He grinned and refocused.

"Sorry." I shook my head and focused on the screen as well. A short guitar chord struck out and another picture flicked up. A twin chord repeated its brother's code, followed by somebody, probably the guitarist, muttering "THE F-WORD" into the microphone. And with that, a questing series began to pulse from the surrounding speakers, named "Time of Your Life" by Green Day. Various still-frames of members of the group appeared in different ways on the screen, sliding up, fading in, smacking against the screen, and other such amusing effects. Then, the audio faded out, returning with a more somber "Rough Night in Jericho" by Dreams So Real. Photos of all of us at the beach flashed up in time with the music. Memories tucked away rose up from the ashes like a phoenix as the screen set the wings of the memories alight. Shadow and Rouge posed like spies in the sand, while Sonic inhaled a chilidog, and Tails accompanied Cream to the rising tide, as I caught some rays with Espio, and Vector buried a snoozing Vanilla in the sand. The song cut off and ripped open the previous adventuring mood with the unforgiving, destroying, rent tone of "For You" by Staind. This segment featured more pictures of Cream than of anyone else, though we were still included, with mostly angry, depressed, or hurt looks on our faces. I noticed plenty of post-battle pictures as well, blood and bandages a recurring theme among these images. That song was quickly followed by "Miss Murder" by AFI. I quickly awarded Shadow a chuckle at the first image to correspond to the song. Vanilla glared threateningly at Cream as the smaller rabbit held a pillow at the ready. Pictures of the females in the group brought the mood of the segment full-circle. Next, the audio switched to a more upbeat "I'm So Hood" by DJ Khaled featuring Rick Ross, T-Pain, Trick Daddy, & Plies. The first image this time was of Vector, taking a huge bite out of a sub sandwich. Changing with the mood, the next image was of all the guys wearing their penguin suits and various shiny pieces of jewelry, all posing differently in positions that James Bond would have been proud of.

_I remember when we took that picture. That was one of the best days of my life…_

"_Okay now, everyone take a pose in three, two, one… GO!" I shouted jovially, snapping several shots of the crew with my brand new camera._

"_Hey Amy!" Sonic yelled to me after that series as I waited for the boys to chose a new pose. _

"_Yeah." I muttered absently, occupied with the shutter on the camera. _

"_Would you wanna go out with me later tonight?" He shouted, a huge grin spreading across his muzzle as he spoke. My head instantly snapped up. _

"_What did you just say?" I said dreamily as I jerked my head up, stars in my eyes._

"_WOULD YOU WANNA GO OUT WITH ME LATER TONIGHT?" He repeated much louder, but with more nerves showing._

I sighed and shook my head, snapping out of it.

"You okay?" Shadow asked, calculating and analytical leer turned on me.

"Yeah… No… Not really…" I whispered, my voice sounding small.

"_Hey Shadow, why do all the girls love YOU? I mean, what is your secret? You've got so many fangirls, it's not even funny." Silver questioned, wistful tone to his voice. _

"_My secret… well, umm… I suppose…" Shadow stalled, giving us desperate glances. _

"_Oh c'mon Shadow, tell him your "secret"." I taunted, choking down fits of laughter._

"_Very well then… my secret is… I'M BRINGING SEXY BACK!!" Shadow yelled, barely keeping his sincerity intact. Silver's jaw dropped wide open as the rest of us gave an informative and hysterical yawp. _

"_YEAH!"_

"Damn it." I muttered and pulled my knees into my chest. I hid my head in the dark space my body had created, shielding myself from scathing images as I trying to suck down sobs through a thick throat. I heard a button click through the roar of blood rushing past my ears and felt a light touch through the numbness my body had created in defense.

"Ames." Shadow's voice reached past the cold and blood.

"What the hell do you want?" I murmured sadly, shivering at another touch, this one more like a prod.

"Do you even know what you did to me?" He asked after a minute of remaining silent. I moved my head side to side, not bothering to lift it from the darkness I hid it in. "You stunned me." He stated with an angry edge and I felt something slide across my back. "You attacked me." My entire body moved to come to rest against something solid, furry, and warm. "You sprained my back by the way, but I healed." He added a second later.

"Well, thank God for your incredible healing ability." I snarled sarcastically, concerned in reality. I meant to ask him something along the lines of "Completely?" or "How on earth did you do that so fast?".

"Yeah…" Shadow muttered.

"Anything else I did to you?" I asked coldly.

"And now, you're growing on my heart. But damn it all because your heart is still set on Sonic." He said timidly, the first time I had ever heard anything close to fear in his voice. I instantly jerked my head up at that to find myself leaning up against him. I uncurled, allowing my legs to fall to the inside of the couch, more towards the back of the couch, while Shadow leaned back against the arm of the couch and stretched his legs to the outside.

"What do you mean?" I asked, losing my bitter façade.

"Damn it Amy, don't you get it? I'm falling in-" He stopped mid-sentence, eyes wide with realization. "Forget it." He ended the heartfelt rant.

"No really, what are you saying?" I pressed on, not willing to take no for an answer.

"Just drop it Amy. You won't get it until we're in mortal danger." Shadow snarled and tried to stand.

"Wait! Don't!" I insisted, pressing my hand into his chest. Though I didn't add a ton of force, the instant our eyes locked Shadow's arms buckled and he fell back into the cushions with a heavy sigh. I kept my hand on his chest for another second; either pleased or amused by the way my hand curved with the contours of his body. Then, I removed it and allowed myself to fall back against him.

"Fine." He said with a tiny bit of false reluctance in his voice. I allowed myself the smallest of grins as I shifted, digging myself deeper into the couch and Shadow. Slowly but surely, the perfect rhythm of his breathing and heartbeat, a tune in all its own, soothed the pain of the hours and days before. I took note of Shadow's arm and shoulder muscles moving, so I looked up. Shadow seemed to be having a time of it trying to figure out where to put his arms. After a few seconds of indecision, he settled and folded his hands behind his head. When his eyes closed, I reached up slowly and wrapped my hand around the arm closest to me. At the touch, Shadow opened one eye to watch what I planned to do. He relaxed all the muscles in his arm and let it go limp after I gave him a gentle tug. Then, I pulled his arm and outstretched it as I lifted my head up. I slid his arm behind my head and let his forearm rest on my shoulder.

Several tense moments later, Shadow finally re-relaxed and allowed onyx eyelids to fall over brilliant crimson irises. His breathing and heartbeat slowed even more than I would have thought possible as I gently turned my head to rest against his chest, ear over his heart. As I lay there, listening to the melody of life, I couldn't help but start to fall asleep. I bit my lip hard, trying to stop time with my mind, only to realize seconds later that only Shadow can do that at will.

_Yeah, I have to be the one stuck with visions from Hell. Whoopee! _I hissed at myself sarcastically. I cast a mournful look up at Shadow's now serene face. _How much longer do I have before I start seeing his disembowelment too? _I shuddered at the thought, disturbing Shadow's slumber. His heartbeat accelerated for a split second, then dove back down. _How much longer do I have to make a difference in this world?_ With a forlorn grimace at the ceiling, I pressed my ear back to his chest.

Even though I wanted the sentimental moment to last forever, I couldn't force it to as my eyes closed to the shadows of the outside life and my mind sank into the shadows that _supposedly_ only dreams can create.

_How much longer do I have to make a difference in his life?_


	7. BREAKTIME

Chapter 7: BREAKTIME

Yes, this chapter is going to be random/important babble about… stuff… maybe I'll get some characters to drop in or something… No, this isn't the incredibly violent chapter I was hinting to in Chapter 6. That'll be Chapter 8…

**Oh snap! I made a BIG booboo!! Ya'll know this scene…**

"_Hey Shadow, why do all the girls love YOU? I mean, what is your secret? You've got so many fangirls, it's not even funny." Silver questioned, wistful tone to his voice._

"_My secret… well, umm… I suppose…" Shadow stalled, giving us desperate glances._

"_Oh c'mon Shadow, tell him your "secret"." I taunted, choking down fits of laughter._

"_Very well then… my secret is… I'M BRINGING SEXY BACK!!" Shadow yelled, barely keeping his sincerity intact. Silver's jaw dropped wide open as the rest of us gave an informative and hysterical yawp._

"_YEAH!"_

**Yeah well, it was **_**inspired **_**by a beautiful image on Deviant Art called "Shadow Brings Sexy Back" by darkspeeds. EVERYONE GO TAKE A LOOK AT IT!! Darkspeeds is a beastly artist! –drools over keyboard while staring at image- 'TIS FREAKIN' HYTERICAL!! –dies laughing- **

**-Shadow Chaos Controls in out of nowhere- -fangirls scream-**

**Shadow: God damnit! If she's dead I won't get my chance to admit my lo-!**

**-Sonic sprints in and skids to a stop just before crashing into Shadow-**

**Sonic: Wow… what the hell happened here?**

**Shadow: -does a double take on Sonic- Holy mother of Jesus! How the hell are you here if you're DEAD?!**

**Sonic: You actually expect me to know the answer to that question? **

**Shadow: Kinda… -glares at Sonic- Who the hell else is gonna-?**

**-Silver teleports in and reels towards the group-**

**Silver: Hullo. –rubs eyes-**

**Shadow: What the FU- I mean HELL?! You're not even alive yet!**

**Silver: I teleported into the past once, I can do it again.**

**Sonic: Are you here to try to kill me again? 'Cause you're a little late…**

**Silver: What? You mean you're already dead? **

**Sonic: Apparently… That's what Shadow said.**

**Shadow: YOU WERE IMPALED BY A PIECE OF METAL THIS LONG!! –holds up hands to demonstrate length-**

**Sonic and Silver: DAMN!**

**Sonic: Are you serious?**

**Silver: DAMN!!**

**Shadow: Plus, you were run over… by the roller coaster…**

**Silver: You were run over by a… roller coaster… -falls into fits of laughter. **

**Sonic: That's NOT FUNNY!!**

**Shadow: Yeah Sil, you're taking this too far. **

**-Sonic and Shadow stare at Silver as he rolls on the ground laughing-**

**Silver: That's why you're supposed to stay IN the car! –laughs-**

**-Sonic gives Silver the stink eye- -Shadow narrows his eyes at Silver-**

**Sonic: Shut up, Silver. **

**Silver: RUN OVER BY A ROLLER COASTER!!**

**Shadow: -pauses for a moment- -takes breath- I SWEAR TO GOD, IF YOU DON'T SHUT THE HELL UP, I'LL KICK YOU'RE ASS LIKE I DID THE FIRST TIME YOU CHALLENGED ME, ONLY THIS TIME… I'LL HAND YOUR ASS**_** TO YOU**_** ON A SILVER PLATTER!!**

**-Silver freezes mid-laugh- -Sonic stares wide-eyed at Shadow- **

**Sonic: Damn…**

**Silver: You wouldn't-**

**Shadow: YOU WANNA TRY ME?!**

**-Silver cringes away and starts crying- **

**Silver: I'M GOING BACK TO MY OWN TIME!! –teleports to his time in flurry of tears-**

**Shadow: Thank God…**

**Sonic: So… you gonna revive her, or what? –looks at dead body-**

**Shadow: I guess. Sure, what the hell. –pulls out seven Chaos Emeralds-**

**Sonic: I KNEW YOU HAD THOSE!! DAMNIT!! –jumps at Shadow-**

**Shadow: Shit… -Chaos Controls away- **

**-Sonic and Shadow engage in battle-**

**-Author's fancharacter/original character Chaos Controls in from another dimension-**

**Swift: Jeez, no matter where they are or who's in danger, they just **_**have **_**to show each other up. –mutters to self and trudges over to the fighting hedgies- HEY BRO! QUIT FIGHTING WITH SONIC AND GET DOWN HERE!! **

**-fighting stops- **

**Shadow: Hey, guess what Swift? YOU AREN'T MY LITTLE SIS UNLESS YOU'RE IN THE FIC!! **

**Sonic: Shadow, you don't have to be an asshole to her! –bares teeth-**

**Shadow: She may be my sis in **_**Silicon and Stars Collide, Let's See How Far We've Come, Paralyzer**_**… etcetera. But not in this one! I'm the ONLY ULF in this one!! **

**Swift: I get it okay! That's the way Sega created it, that's fine… Just so long as you don't decide to go all asshole when we need to save the world with our **_**friends**_**!**

**Shadow: Silver went to you, didn't he? **

**Swift: So what if he did?**

**Shadow: I'll kill him…**

**Swift: That's not even the reason why I'm here! My creator wants you to revive her already so she can get back to making your story! –smirks-**

**Shadow: Oh… okay. –walks over to author's body-**

**Sonic: Hey, can you ask her if I'm gonna come back to life? –eager face-**

**Swift: -closes eyes- -opens eyes and shakes head sadly- Not in this one, bub. You're gonna have to sit this one out.**

**Sonic: -disappointed look- Man… **

**Swift: Wait! –closes eyes again- She's got something big for you planned in **_**Falling Up**_**. **

**Sonic: Really?**

**Swift: -nods and begins to fade- Shit… she's awakening. See ya later, Sonic! –disappears- **

**Sonic: Bye… Swift… **

**-yawns- Damn, I was out for a while, huh?**

**Shadow: Finally! Now, go get to work on that next chapter!! **

**Sonic: Bored…**

**Shadow: Sonic, go back to your grave!**

**Sonic: Why the freak should I? I never was in there anyway!!**

**Shadow: Where were you then? **

**Sonic: YOUR MIND!! MWAHAHAHAHA!**

**Shadow: Errr… right then… I'll just be… going… -Chaos Controls out-**

**Sonic: You think I overdid it a little?**

**Yeah, just a bit, me thinks. **

**Sonic: Whoops…**

**Whoops probably doesn't even cover it.**

**Sonic: I'm gonna go hang out with the other dead peeps. Later. –sprints away-**

Yup, this was probably the most random chappie eva!! Hey, I'm just stallin' for time! I'm actually coming along super fast with Chapter 8. It's kinda weird 'cause when I have violent thoughts, I work faster. Oh boy…

No, I didn't intend to go Silver bashing; my little bro inspired it. Well, we got _Sonic the Hedgehog_ for the 360 like a day ago and we were playing co-op. He was _attempting_ to play as Silver, while I was kicking ass with Shadow! Yeah, he got pretty pissed off when he discovered playing as Silver was harder than it looked. XD Let's just say, it didn't go over well and it ended with a ton of Silver bashing. Yeah…

So, sorry for the blah, I just got bored I guess…


	8. Fault Line

**A/N: Hello again... Guess what? THIS IS THE VIOLENT CHAPTER YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! I guess I'm so evil right now because I posted another demoic story earlier... So, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.**

**I apologize for the idiotic 7th chapter. I just got bored and stuff... yeah...**

**Thanks to all of my faithful reviewers! I really appreciate it! And thanks to the new reviewers! I'll be posting another thank you list next chapter.**

**I am not related in anyway to the artists mentioned in this chapter. All lyrics are property of the respective artists. Artists menationed: Rage Against the Machines, Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, and Buckcherry. **

**So, without further adue, please enjoy and remember to review!**

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Chapter 8: Fault Line

_2 days later…_

"Hey Shadow? What do you think this is?" I asked curiously, picking up a big manila envelope that had just been thrust through the mail slip and landed on the tile floor with a _thud._

"Hell if I know…" Shadow said slowly as he walked over to stand over me and get a look at what I held. The envelope was unmarked other than the address of Shadow's apartment and our names. Shadow reached down and snatched the envelope from my hands.

"Hey!" I yelped and stood again to try to get it back.

"This is a little odd…" He muttered and used one shoulder to block all of my attempts to grab it. "Huh. Wonder who sent it…" He turned the envelope over and over in his hands. I stopped my feeble attempts and gave him a concerned look.

"You mean, you don't know who sent it?" I asked, slightly surprised. I was expecting it to be some weird government thing.

"Nope. Not a clue." He smirked and put his finger under the edge of the envelope.

"You're not afraid it's a bomb or something either?" I shivered slightly, praying it was anything but.

"Who the heck would send me a bomb?" He exclaimed as he went to tear it open.

_I can think of a few people…_ I bit my lip and tried to think of a way to stall.

"It's addressed to both of us." I noted meekly, bracing myself for impact. Shadow turned the envelope over and looked at the address.

"So it is." He responded with an unconcerned air about him. I pulled my ears back and placed my hands over them, closing my eyes and gritting my teeth as Shadow's finger moved soundlessly through the envelope's fold. When I wasn't thrown back into the wall or engulfed in a fiery explosion, I opened my eyes and removed my hands from my ears and walked up behind Shadow to see what was in the mysterious envelope.

"Who's it from?" I asked curiously.

"Not to that part yet." Shadow replied distractedly. I read from over his shoulder.

_Shadow and Amy,_

_Looks like you're in some deep shit. Well, I can't help you much other than this. Unless you do something to put another flaw in Death's plan, whoever was the second person to die that didn't die like they were supposed to in Amy's vision is in grave danger. _

_Sorry I can't help much,_

_Manic_

"How the fu-?" Shadow started after he finished reading, and then paused and his brow lowered in thought. "How the hell did this Manic find out where I lived?" He asked, shaking his head and taking another look inside the envelope.

"How did he know I was here with you?" I pondered a similar question, glancing out the open window nervously.

"Freakin' a! Why would you send someone a short ass letter like that in a manila envelope? Makes you think he's got anthrax or some shit in there…" Shadow trailed off, sniffing the envelope to be sure no deadly diseases were in the depths of the envelope despite the fact that he couldn't smell them.

_Or can he?_ I thought as I watched him, a small amused smile spreading across my face.

"Amy, who was second to go out?" Shadow asked, serious again as he dropped the envelope in the trash and the letter in the paper shredder. I waited for the buzzing of the machine to stop before I began.

"Well, I think it was-" I was cut off by faint music coming from Shadow's room.

"Hang on." Shadow sighed and stomped into his room. He retrieved his cell phone, a black Razor, which I had never seen before. It was vibrating urgently, its speakers blaring a slightly distorted version of "Bulls On Parade" by Rage Against the Machine.

"You have a cell-?" I was once again interrupted by lyrics

"_Running 'round the family_

_With a pocket full of shells._

_They're running 'round the family_

_With a pocket full of shells."_

"Frigging answer it already!" I exclaimed as Shadow hesitated, one hand on the cover of the flip phone.

"_We're running 'round the family_

_With a pocket full of shells."_

"Answer it!" I insisted, folding my arms across my chest. Finally, Shadow flipped the phone open and put it up to his right ear, silencing the ringtone.

"Shadow the hedgehog." He answered with an irritated edge to his voice. "Mm-hm… Yeah… Umm, sure, I guess… Yeah, you can't help stuff like that… Okay… Six… That's a long time; are you-…? Right, that's a good point… I will… Yeah, I'll make sure… Okay then… That's fine, thank you… Alright… Thanks again… Shadow the hedgehog signing off." He hung up a few tense moments later.

"Who was that?" I asked, hoping he wasn't angry.

"Confidential, I can't say to a civilian." He said with a wink.

"So, that was GUN?" I assumed.

"Yup… They gave me six months paid leave 'cause they said it's not good to drop bogeys when your friends just fell off the face of the planet. Of course if I'm needed, I've got to go do my job, no matter what emotional condition I'm in." He told me with an agitated gleam in his eyes.

"You aren't happy about that?" I asked, wondering how anyone wouldn't be happy with six months to do absolutely nothing, but still get paid.

"No, I hate doing nothing!" He clenched his fists and a low growl emitted from his chest rumbled to his lips.

"Hey, calm down." I warned him warily. He bit his lip and swallowed the snarl. "Better." I sighed. "You will be doing something. Helping me save the rest of our friends and possibly our own lives if it gets to that." I said soothingly.

"I won't let it get to that." The snarl returned and a determined fire was set alight in his crimson eyes. Inwardly, I smiled sadly. He was willing to help me, despite all of the times he had been on the opposing side, butting heads with Sonic, or just plain refusing to fight for a side until the final battle rolled along. And yet when that final bell tolled, he'd be standing beside Sonic, victory making his eyes glow, or his name would be among the death count… I shuddered at the thought and turned my attention back to the present. "Well, who was second?" He pressed on, a softer edge to his tone but the flame remained.

"Umm… well… The second originally was Knuckles, but…" I trailed off, a dull throb pulsing through my body.

"Out of the living, please." Shadow said.

"Sure, sure… Tails, I think… will be next…" I muttered, realizing I practically gave the kitsune a death sentence. Shadow's ears laid flat back against his head and a dark look crossed his face. Suddenly, a shrill scream pierced my ears, so I covered them with my hands to try to block out the offending noise, only to find that it was inside my head. Still, I pressed my hands harder and harder against my ears. I squeezed my eyes shut to seal off everything, still finding the screams coming through. "Oh dear God." I moaned as the screaming stopped as abruptly as it began. I fell to my knees at that point, allowing my hands to fall at my side again.

"Amy?" Shadow asked, kneeling beside me.

"Don't start shoving water down my throat again, please." I softly groaned.

"Yeah, I won't do that again." He chuckled bitterly. After a couple minutes, Shadow nervously shifted his weight back and forth, irritating me because I could _feel_ it with the shifting of the floorboards under the carpet. Eager to get out of that uncomfortable silence, I opened my eyes again and peered over at him.

"We may be too late." I said emptily as I watched his eyes flick up to me.

"Not until I say so." Shadow snarled, standing and starting for the door.

"Wait Shadow! Do you even know where Tails lives?" I yelled after him, standing as well.

"No, but I do know he's not at home right now." Shadow replied loudly and I imagined a smirk spreading across his muzzle.

"Well then, where the hell is he?" I exasperated, trudging to the door myself. Shadow ran in a flurry past me, and then doubled back within the second. He skidded to a stop inches from me, nose almost touching my own.

"He's at work. The local Home Depot." He said softly, breath sugar sweet, instantly stunning me.

"A great place for a kid to work." I scoffed after I had recovered. "How close?" I asked, walking past him out of the apartment.

"So close we can _touch _it." Shadow's smirk grew even wider as he walked in front of me. A puzzled look must have crossed my face because Shadow shook his head despairingly.

"I'll show you." He said, suddenly grabbing my arm and pulling me onto his back. I instantly wrapped my arms around his neck in a stranglehold. "Well, I was getting ready to tell you to hold on tight, but I think you've got that part down." Shadow coughed and removed my arms from his neck. He guided my hands under his arms, so he could still breathe while he ran. I closed my fingers over his shoulders, praying I was strong enough to hold on.

"Go!" I shouted when I was ready. In a flash, Shadow shot to the end of the hall, threw the door open to the stairs, tore down the staircase, barreled through the lobby, sprinted past his car and the parking lot, ripped through traffic to cross the street, and slammed on his brakes across the street at the adjacent shopping center.

"Okay, here we are." Shadow smirked and loosened his hold on my legs. When I didn't let go, he turned his head to get a look at me. "Amy? You getting off?" He shifted his shoulder slightly.

"Oh, sorry." I said breathlessly, releasing my iron-grip on his shoulders. I slid off his back and stepped back as he stretched his back gently. "You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah. Just a little… sore." He winced and moved his shoulders in a circular motion. Suddenly, a cell phone started ringing. I instantly reached for my cell phone in my sweatpants' pocket, but then realized it wasn't my ringtone.

"_Ain't no time for chit-chat_

_I'm tryin' to get this money_

_So get up out my face_

_You doo-doo head dummy"_

"_Hey Soulja Boy can I-?_

_Yahhh, trick, Yahhh!_

_Yo, Arab I really-_

_Yahhh, trick, Yahhh!_

_College park means-_

_Buh-bah-boogeda-bah!_

_Hey man I was just wonder can I get a-?_

_Yahhh, Yahhh, trick!"_

"_Get out my-"_

"Hello?" Shadow answered his phone with a slightly more friendly greeting than the last one. "Of course… we were just about to go in anyway… No, it's no problem… Heh… Yeah, I tend to get that a lot now… No problem… Good-bye."

"Who was that?" I asked curiously. "And what's with the different ringtones? I thought I was the only one who did that." I grinned mischievously.

"That was Vanilla. She wants us to check on Cream, who is apparently hanging out with Tails right now. As for the ringtones, I just use songs that seem appropriate with the person." He said as he started walking towards the Home Depot.

"Explain please."

"Well, like with GUN, I had the chorus to "Bulls On Parade" because it was kinda like sayin' I'm running around endangering my 'family' with my 'shells' or secrets or bullets. Crap like that… Anyway, Vanilla's tone is "Yahhh!" because she's always riding my butt about something. Like I owe her a huge favor or something." He casually explained, waving his hand as he walked.

"What's my ringtone?" I was curious to find out what Shadow thought of me based on what I could find from the ringtone.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I actually don't have your number. I considered it a little odd to have your number since one, you weren't my girlfriend, two, you never asked any favor of me, and three, you weren't a GUN agent or otherwise." Shadow told me, an anxious look in his eyes.

"Okay… well, you might need it in case something happens…" I trailed off, concentrating more on not falling on my face than the conversation at hand.

"Alright, here's mine." Shadow continued in a nervous tone, passing a business card to my hands.

"Is this your assassin card, or something?" I asked jokingly.

"Yeah totally 'cause I just seem like the assassin type." He cracked a smile at the joke.

"You know; you kinda do seem like the assassin type." I winced, becoming more serious.

"Yeah, I know. I guess that is my assassin card." The smile evaporated and an angry frown I'd seen inhabit his mouth so often returned.

"Well, here's my number. Now you have to tell me what ringtone you're gonna put for mine!" I demanded as I pressed a small piece of paper into his palm.

"You gotta let me think a little at least!" Shadow exclaimed defensively, ears folding back slightly. "I can't come up with it as fast as you probably could! There's a ton of songs I can think of for you, but if you don't watch it, you'll end up with "Crazy Bitch"!" He continued with a false threat. The grin slowly made a comeback as he watched my alarmed reaction.

"You wouldn't." I huffed.

"How much you wanna bet?" He seemed confident. I let out a growl and start to walk faster, only to find myself caught by his arm.

"What the hell?" I scowled at him, glaring venomously into his eyes.

"Why don't you concentrate more on where you're feet are going than what they're going to step on?" Shadow suggested with equal anger. I looked straight ahead as he suggested and found that I was staring at my own reflection, inches away from my nose.

"Oh." That response was the only thing I could manage at the moment. When I looked back up at Shadow, his face displayed a look of pure amusement. "Can we get serious here so Tails doesn't think we're joking?" I growled. Shadow released me and proceeded to walk through the doors.

"Whatever you say, Amy." He said as he passed me.

"Hey!" I shouted after him and ran to catch up.

The first thing that struck me when I entered Home Depot was the smell. It smelled like work… a combination of elbow grease, fresh paint, aerosols, construction supplies… sort of like that new car smell, but with more dirt. The second was the sheer size of the building. Clearly, appearance wasn't a big deal to the Home Depot people, because the piping in the ceiling was directly in sight. Most of the walls remained as sheetrock, no coat of paint or sheet of plywood concealing every little imperfection in the wall. Or maybe that was the intended feel they were trying to project to their customers? These customers milled around as if they were trying to delay the beginning of their projects by purchasing more stuff that would supposedly allow them to finish the job faster, but in reality prevented them from completing it as fast because all the time they spent wandering aimlessly around the Home Depot _could_ have been spent getting the project done. Despite the humongous layout, giant orange signs hung from the ceiling in an attempt to direct people to their desired product. Of course most of the time, this meant passing by items that are wants or 'I-could-use-these's. So often times, the most popular products were in the very back of the store so that one must journey past a ton of temptations in order to reach his destination. The layout was pure psychology. And while I discovered this, taking Shadow's advice about looking around instead of down, Shadow headed with a direct manner to Tails's apparent location.

Shadow's instincts were correct and he led the way directly to Tails. And accompanying Tails was Cream.

_He killed two birds with one stone there._ I grinned inwardly at this.

"Tails!" Shadow shouted across the lengthy aisle, which was flanked on both sides by various appliances. Tails's head shot up from his demonstration table and his sapphire eyes shined a touch brighter as they fell on us. "Cream!" He continued, attracting the attention of the tan rabbit. She bounded to us from the other end of the aisle.

"Hello Mr. Shadow and Ms. Amy. What're you doing here?" Cream asked in a dreamy tone as her eyes floated to Tails.

_Oh boy…_

"Hey Cream, would you mind if we had a word with Tails privately?" I asked, warily glancing up and down the aisle. Cream's face twisted slightly in confusion, but then returned to normal and a witty smile replaced her once calm one.

"Okay, but don't be too long!" She giggled bubbly and began to wander down the aisle.

"Oh Cream, can you go to the next aisle down and get me one of those hooked screws while you're away? But remember, be careful under that industrial-size washer/dryer combo." Tails requested distractedly.

"Sure, Tails!" She exclaimed and skipped down to the end of the aisle and then disappeared to the right.

"Okay, what did you need?" Tails asked and walked back over to his area. I stepped back for a moment and took in his workspace. It consisted of a demonstration table, which faced forward, a workstation, where all of his tools and such were kept and where he prepared for his next demo, which was only reachable by ducking under a thick metal cord that was hooked to the heavy and tall orange shelves with a mere curved piece of metal and lead up in a v-shape away from the hook to the opposing shelf and apparently attached to something.

"You think this is a little dangerous, Tails?" I asked as I prodded the wire gently.

"Nah! It's perfectly fine. Besides, I made the hook, so that industrial washer/dryer isn't going anywhere." He responded cockily. Shadow ran his hand softly down the cord and then flicked it. When the wire didn't budge a single bit, Shadow cast me a concerned look.

"It's pretty taunt, Tails…" Shadow muttered attentively.

"It's fine! I assure you!" He whipped around to face us, eyes daring us to insult anything he made.

"Okay then…" I shrank away, unwilling to puncture his bubble he had created, I assumed as a defense to the recent tragedies.

"So, what's up?" Tails inquired, walking back to a refrigerator with its rear torn off and bent to look inside.

"Well… I-." I started, and then found myself unable to complete the sentence as tears slowly began to well up in my eyes.

_I just don't want to be the one to give him his death sentence._ I bit my lip and wrestled with my innards. Shadow's ruby eyes flicked to me for a split second and analyzed my facial expression. Understanding what my face portrayed, Shadow took over.

"We have good reason to believe that you are in grave danger." Shadow muttered quickly and quietly. Tails released the two copper wires he held in his hands and looked up at Shadow and I.

"And what reason would that be?" He questioned, disbelieving air about him. Shadow sighed heavily and drew a breath to relay the excuse, but I held up my hand, stopping him.

"Because the last two times I _knew_ someone was in danger and they didn't believe it, they ended up in the grave." I told him anxiously, hoping to convince him to trust me.

"You mean; you're actually falling for that whole scheme that Manic guy planned up?" Tails scoffed in an acidic tone.

"Planned up? Tails, you can't plan the deaths of all of your friends and family like that." Shadow said softly, having read the article in the paper and researched Manic's situation.

"Who knows?" He breathed and pressed two wires together, creating a spark.

"Listen Tails, Amy has already _seen_ something that pertains to your death." Once again, Tails's head jerked up, only this time he whacked his head on the top of the opening as he came out. He reeled backwards and backed into the shelf that housed the hook that held the washer/dryer up.

"You okay?" I asked quickly, feeling the air constrict.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But still, Amy hasn't been known for predicting the future."

"She already has, twice." Shadow defended me, becoming more desperate by the moment. "Tails, c'mon! You need to listen to us!" He insisted.

"Can't you tell? I can take care of myself! In fact, I think I'm taking better care of myself than I was before Sonic died!" The last sentence… made the world come crashing down.

All emotion faded and I became lost in the blank sheet it left behind. I weakly stared straight forward, all energy gone.

"_In fact, I think I'm taking better care of myself than I was before Sonic died!"_ Every single word had it's own specific throb.

_How could his best friend say something like that? How could he say that? How could he? How…?_

"I mean, I have a crush now. I'm at work more. I live by myself, self-supported. How could I-?" Tails was cut off by a truly menacing growl from Shadow.

"Damnit, Tails! Stop trying to convince yourself that things will only get better now that your "_brother" _is gone! If that's what you saw him as…" Shadow snarled, a dangerous gleam sparking up in his crimson eyes. Tails didn't respond verbally, but glared venomously at Shadow.

"Tails… what happened to you?" I whispered, hand over my mouth disbelievingly.

"What happened to me? What happened to _me_? If anyone's changed, it's you Amy! You've suddenly become this paranoid psychotic freak claiming that you can see your friends' deaths." Tails accused in an acidic tone, jaw setting firmly as he ducked under the first wire and began to mess around with various objects he had removed from the refrigerator. "Well you know what? I think you're both full of sh-!"

The makeshift hook, loosened by Tails's previous reversing into the shelf, pulled out from the shelf. As a response to the lack of a counter-balance, the washer-dryer began to fall, taking the wire with it. The wire ensnared Tails by the neck and he slammed into the opposing shelf as the washer/dryer violently began its decent. However, Tails's weight was enough to allow for a slow ascent as the washer/dryer acted like a barrel being slowly pulled out from under Tails.

"Tails!" Shadow and I shouted together and sprinted towards the captured and slowly rising and choking kitsune. Tails clawed at his throat in desperation, trying to free himself from the stranglehold the wire had imposed upon him. As I pondered what exactly to do to get him down, Shadow leapt up and swiped at Tails, trying to get a hold on him. Slowly, the yellow fox's sapphire eyes rolled up into the back of his head and the clawing became more and more desperate.

"Shadow! Chaos Spear!" I suggested quickly, hoping he had enough energy.

"I'll give it a shot, but if I miss…" Shadow's eyes grew wide in anguish.

"Don't think about if you miss because I know you won't!" I yelped, watching Tails's face turn from bright red to icy blue.

"Alright then…" Shadow jumped up as high as he could and then activated his Jet Shoes, allowing himself to hover in midair. As he took aim, he hesitated slightly. "I don't know if I-!"

"Just do it!" I shouted encouragingly. Shadow visibly took a deep breath and then held out one hand in front of him. He pointed his hand directly at the wire well above Tails's neck. Then, he tensed up and his eyes narrowed in concentration.

"Chaos Spear!" Shadow yelled the order and fired a spear of pure energy at the wire.

_Direct hit!_ I shouted jovially in my mind as the wire snapped, back-lashing a bit against Tails as he fell to the ground. Tails immediately fell to his knees and clutched at his neck, coughing and sputtering pathetically.

"Tails! Are you alright?" I ran and slid to him on my knees, praying he was all right. He only managed to cough in response, so I waited, staring at the deep imprint the wire had left in his neck.

"What happened to the washer-?" And that… was when we heard the scream.

Ear-rending and soul-piercing, a hideous scream rang out and all was silent other than that single note of sound. Suddenly, the scream was cut off by a large bang followed by a horribly sickening _crunch_. Tails's and Shadow's eyes went wide in that instant. All three of us stood in exactly the same second and we ran perfectly in sync, but in slow motion to my eyes, into the next aisle. However, we all froze the instant we saw the exact damage that industrial-size washer/dryer had done. Not only was there a humongous hole in the concrete, but also the floor was stained crimson. We rushed to the destroyed appliance and began searching for any signs of life. Then, I made a horrid realization as Shadow looked into my eyes after looking over the crushed machine.

_Cream._

"Oh dear God." I muttered and knelt to search with them, praying we wouldn't find anything left of her if it truly was her.

"NOOOO!" A wail of pure horror and grief rang out suddenly, instantly breaking my hopes and prayers in two. Shadow and I ran to Tails's side and we immediately found ourselves regretting ever being there. From the debris, a tiny, gloved hand attached to a tan arm twitched slightly and a miniscule fountain of blood squirted up to further cake the floor in red. "Cream?" Tails moaned softly and crawled towards it. He took it in his hands and then pulled. It didn't take much effort, so I later assumed that there was no way it could have still been attached to the body. The only fruits of Tails's efforts were a dismembered arm and a broken heart. With a sob, Tails collapsed in a heap by the pile of debris. His shuddering frame encouraged me to try to comfort him. But when I did touch him lightly on the shoulder, he only scowled up at me with poison in his eyes.

"Get out." He hissed threateningly. I backed up into Shadow, thoroughly stunned.

"C'mon Ames… we need to get out of here." Shadow mumbled softly into my ear. I became irresponsive, numbly falling to my knees and starting to shake. "Let's go." He said and swept me up off the floor, cradling me against his chest bridal-style. He sprinted as fast as he could out of the store and slowed down to a walk in the parking lot. At that point, the tears began to flow freely and I let my sobs out. "Amy… It's okay… Everything'll be… okay… I promise." Shadow said soothingly as I buried my face deep into his chest fur. Suddenly, Shadow stopped walking and I felt his muscles tense.

"Wha-what is it?" I whimpered quietly, not looking up. So, Shadow nudged me delicately and I forced myself to pull my face out of his chest and look at whatever he indicated. Instantly, wild emerald quills struck me as I looked about in a daze. As the emerald blob approached, I could feel Shadow taking a more defensive stance. Finally, it was only a few feet from us, close enough to distinguish features. Hazel eyes peered out at us from underneath the mess of quills and a bright red vest was open, exposing his pale stomach, which was not unlike Sonic's peach belly. An equipment belt hung loosely around his waist and white and red shoes distinguished his feet from the rest of his body.

"Who are you? And what do you want with us?" Shadow snarled aggressively, turning one shoulder to him so that he protected me slightly.

"I am Manic the Hedgehog and I came to help you cheat Death." The emerald hedgehog said cockily while a smirk spread across his muzzle.

**OMG!! CLIFFHANGER!! At this point, you should be asking yourself these four questions...**

**1) What the _hell_ is Manic planning on doing?!  
2) When will Shadow and Amy have that much-anticipated kiss?!  
3) Is Manic capable of destruction? Because boy, do I have something big planned for him! XD (I got ya'll wondering now!)  
4) What the _hell_ is Amy's ringtone?! XD**

**I refuse to answer these questions, but here's when you can expect them to be answered...**

**1) Next chapter  
2) Soon  
3) Soon and yes.  
4) Within the next couple of chapters**

**This chapter was mostly inspired by the song _Half Life _by _10 Years_.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and look for the next chapter coming up soon! Please remember to drop me a review because I'll love you for it!! (dearly, not queerly, as my friends would say.) XD Thanks again!**


	9. cause and Effect

**A/N: YELLOW MAH PEEPS!! (translation: Hello people). I just LOVE the chapter title for this one! XP I mean, the whole 'c' and 'E' thing! Me likie! Can you tell... I'm staying up until, like, 3 AM to get a before-dawn energy burst!! WEEEEE!! -bounces quietly off walls- Anyways, I didn't come up with that title on my own... My little brother (yeah, the same one) gave me the chapter name. I don't know where he came up with it, but I LOVE IT!! **

**So, I REALLY LOVE ALL MY REVIEWERS!! (MORE THAN THE CHAPTER NAME, I TELL YOU!!) Here's all of my wonderous reviewers:** **Project Shadow, Elys, RyuuseiRazgriz, ShadowFan100, SUPER SIX FOX, DarkShelby101, Zap the Hedgehog, Trigga Happy Saiyanayo, Memories2share, Naruto the Hedgehog, snowcakes, Rae Logan, and Shadlay (I don't mind the reviews with a slightly threatening edge (yeah, your's had one Shadlay), in fact, thanks for stepping on my toes. Without that, darkspeeds wouldn't have received the credit (Chapter 7). So, thanks)!! I LOVE YOU ALL!! Please keep reviewing, for -dramatic voice- it is my lifeline!! **

**Anyway, this chapter isn't really graphic, but there's a REALLY bad word at the VERY end of the chapter. I don't use it, it's not a good word, I know that. Don't go freaking out and lecturing me and telling me I'm going to go to Hell. 1) I already know it's bad. 2) Don't waste your breath. 3) I already know I'm going to Hell. JUST KIDDING!! I LUV JESUS! XD**

**Yeah, but seriously, I was kidding about the whole 'going to Hell' thing. I hopefully will pass that test so my flesh won't fry. XD Let's pray that we won't find out the results to that test as soon as the peeps in my story did... Anyway...**

**Please enjoy and remember to REVIEW!! Have fun, kids!**

* * *

Chapter 9: cause and Effect

The next afternoon, I awoke to find myself in a tangle of blankets on Shadow's couch. With a groan, I sat up and stretched, sighing in content as I did so. Then, I allowed myself a glance in the kitchen. There, Shadow and Manic were engaged in heated conversation, both making hand gestures and trying to lower their voices but still yell at the same time. I cracked a small smile and stood, yawning loudly to alert them to my awake state.

"Ah, Amy! How'd you sleep?" Shadow called, peering through the opening in the wall.

"Fine." I replied, adding an extra yawn for effect.

"Sorry for dumping you on the couch. I'm afraid we ran into some trouble after you passed out." He continued, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"What kind of trouble?" I asked, ears standing erect and quills bristling slightly. Suddenly, I felt a chill roll down my spine, not unlike the one I had experienced just after Cream's death.

"Well, your friend, Tails, told the cops that you murdered his girlfriend." Manic explained, finally speaking as he sauntered into the living room and plopped down in one of the chairs facing the couch.

"Great…" I snarled angrily.

_I'll kill him._

"Yeah, we managed to lead them off our trail by passing through the alleys, but they eventually had to come to the apartment." Shadow bit his lip anxiously and sat down at the other end of the couch.

"So… what'd you do?" I asked, nervous edge in my voice.

"We barricaded the door." Manic said proudly. I glanced up to see what he meant by barricade. A huge wooden cabinet blocked the front door and I soon found myself thanking God that Shadow's door opened inwardly.

"What about the back door?" I inquired, nodding towards the clear doorway.

"Well, we just locked that one." Manic shook his head, as if criticizing himself for not thinking of a more creative way to stop the police from entering. I just ground my teeth, thinking of Tails's betrayal. "So, who's next?" Manic asked cheerfully. "Maybe this time you won't be blamed for murder." He added after further thought. With a glare, I opened my mouth and started to respond, but then paused.

_Who IS next? Tails was supposed to die, so Cream should be next, but she's already dead…_

"Let me guess. The person who was supposed to bite the dust isn't exactly pushing up daisies currently, so you're just a touch confused on that subject, correct?" Manic asked, regarding my pause with a knowing air. After all, he did know how I felt.

"Yeah." I replied, a touch surprised that he guessed. Shadow cast a nervous glance Manic's way and then stood up and walked into the kitchen. "Where're you going?" I asked loudly.

"Here." Shadow returned a moment later with a piece of paper and a pencil in hand. He placed it on the coffee table before me and sat down in his seat.

"What's this for?" I growled, glaring at the pencil ferociously.

"Manic wants you to write down the order of the deaths in your vision." Shadow said nervously.

"'Kay." I took up the pencil uncertainly and leaned over the paper, studying it as if it was an exam.

A few minutes later, I handed my paper to Shadow, bracing myself for an attack I should have known wouldn't be coming. He paused just as he was about to pass it to Manic and looked it over, crimson eyes blazing as they ran down the sheet. When he reached the end of the page, his eyes froze and I watched as his fists clenched, jaw locked, and face contorted in pain. He looked up from the paper then and gave me a desperate and strained look.

"What's wrong, Shadow?" I scooted closer to him warily, but concerned. He just shook his head in response, shutting his eyes and curling up in a ball on the couch. I decided to drop it. Taking the paper from Shadow's balled up fist; Manic too ran his eyes over the now crumpled sheet. Seeing Shadow's response, I braced myself for a similar one from Manic as I brought my legs up onto the couch and crossed them.

After a tense minute, I cast a glance at Shadow, who had now uncurled again, but now fiddled with his hands and stared straight down at the carpet.

"Shadow." I mumbled his name, causing him to abruptly look up and lock eyes with me. A pained expression crossed his face and I returned it. He turned his body to face me and I crawled across the couch to lean into him. Just as I settled myself against Shadow in a way that wouldn't result in the other being impaled by one of our quills, Manic gave a yelp in announcement.

"Vector, Knuckles, Espio, Rouge, Tails, Sally, Sonic, Cream, Vanilla, Shadow, Amy." He mumbled then. Shadow winced at our names and I gave him another concerned glance, which he shook off. "So, Knuckles, Espio, Rouge, Sally, and Sonic all died on the night of the vision, correct?" Manic asked.

_He should know. It's all over the damn news._ I growled quietly, making Shadow turn slightly and give me a warning glance before turning back to Manic.

"Yeah." He replied for me.

"So, that left Vector, Tails, Cream, Vanilla, and you two." Manic continued, rubbing his chin in deep thought.

"Right." I replied, a dark look crossing Shadow's face.

"But now, only Tails, Vanilla, and you two are left."

"Why did Cream die if it was Tails's turn?" I suddenly spoke up, receiving a devious smirk from Manic in response.

"You intervened, did you not?" He asked, still bearing that hybrid smile-frown. Both Shadow and I nodded our reply.

"Someone must intervene in order for survival."

"Intervene? How-?" Shadow started only to be cut off by Manic.

"You did once, I'm sure you can do it again." Manic waved his hand dismissingly. Shadow stood up at that, anger bubbling up from the depths of his chest.

"It's not as easy as it looks, I assure you." Shadow snarled, putting one hand out in front of me protectively while clenching the other around an orb of Chaos. Manic's hazel eyes immediately gravitated towards the red blob in Shadow's hand enviously.

"I know it's not easy, since I tried and obviously failed." Manic's eyes still remained on the Chaos, but his comment was directed to me. I bit my lip, knowing what Shadow could do with that miniscule Chaos orb, but also wanting Manic to back off. Suddenly, "Bulls On Parade" wailed from Shadow's pocket. Shadow lifted the orb and held it just above his head, then released it with a flick of the wrist. With that, the red blob began orbiting around Shadow's head. Afterwards, Shadow gave me a mischievous look before answering the phone. I cocked my head at him curiously and observed the manner he greeted the person on the other end with.

"Shadow the hedgehog here… Yup… You know I wouldn't do that to a _friend_… Heck, I wouldn't even do it to Jack… He's on my _team_, that's why… Yeah… Can't help other people's reactions… No, I didn't… Thanks… Really…? Sounds interesting enough… Oh… Shit… What am I supposed to-…" Shadow's face suddenly paled and he glanced in my direction with a strained expression. I shivered again, wondering what was being said on the other end. To distract myself enough to prevent Shadow from worrying, I focused my eyes on the red orb floating around Shadow's head.

_Curious little thing…_ I grinned lightly as I noticed it take on a more pinkish color. _Pretty cute though…_ I added and was rewarded with a hot pink shade. _Hmm. _I began to watch its path more closely. Suddenly, I picked up on how it's color changes indicated Shadow's… feelings? As the blob orbited past me, it changed to a lighter pinkish-red color, while when it passed Manic; the blob grew darker and more malevolent.

Finally, Shadow hung up with an exhausted sigh. He looked to me; face paling considerably as he did so, and then glared Manic's way. Shadow reached up and took hold of the curious little blob again, returning to his previous protective position.

"What's going on?" I asked, both eager and reluctant to know the new information Shadow had just been told. Shadow looked back at me anxiously, as if debating over whether he should tell me or not. "C'mon Shadow…" I pressed on.

"Fine." Shadow took a deep breath and turned his attention to me, but still kept the blob at his side. "GUN got us out of the murder charges, so we're good to go on that aspect. However, they just found out that…" He paused, swallowing hard. "Th-that Vanilla's dead." He muttered sadly.

"What?" My head jerked up at that.

_I-I felt it, b-but I di-didn't d-do anything about I-it. _My mind tripped over itself and I forced myself to keep breathing.

"Vanilla's gone." Shadow's muzzle paled despairingly.

"Sh-shit!" I yelped suddenly, burying my face in my hands. "How in _hell_ did she die? She's so careful!" I wailed, voice muffled by my palms.

"Apparently, she stabbed herself." Shadow chewed on the inside of his cheek and scowled at the ground as he did so.

"With what?" I continued in a disbelieving tone.

"I… don't know…" He paused, indicating that he did know. I glared in response. "But, we're granted access to the crime scene… so we can see how it all went down." Shadow explained while casting a sideways glance at Manic. Suddenly, I understood.

_Shadow doesn't want Manic knowing the whole situation._

"So, let's go!" I shouted, leaping off of the couch and to the door.

"Wait for me, guys!" Manic yelled after us, forcing me to stop.

"Manic, thanks for the help and all, but this is our story to make right." Shadow said commandingly, finally dismissing the red blob.

"Yeah, but if Tails is anything like my old buddy, Mina, you're gonna need some help holding him off." Manic responded, determined glint in his hazel eyes. He winked my way, but I turned my head away. Shadow heaved a strained sigh and took hold of my hand.

"Fine, but you get in my way and there'll be more trouble than Mina or Tails could _ever_ bring." Shadow threatened while squeezing my hand.

"What're we waiting for? Let's go!" I shouted, returning the squeeze. The three of us sprinted down into the lobby, where Shadow stopped, forcing me to slam on my brakes before I careened into Shadow's back.

"Okay. I've got a plan. Since Tails is ever-likely to pop up and try to kill us, Manic, you take your gas-guzzling Hummer and I'll take Ames with me in the convertible." Shadow snarled to Manic.

"Fine." Manic cast a longing look my way, to which I returned with a half-hearted glare. We exited the complex swiftly, Shadow with his arm around me heading towards his sport's car and Manic stomping to his jacked up Hummer.

Minutes later, I attempted to move closer to Shadow out of impulse, despite the console between us.

"Do you hate Manic or something?" I inquired suddenly, and then bit my tongue, knowing I should not have asked that question. Shadow gave me an edgy look at that, and then looked back at the road.

"I just… I feel this… malevolent aura around him… almost as if he's a Satan reincarnate…" Shadow explained angrily. I chuckled a bit at the last part.

_Satan reincarnate… right…_

"Anything else?" I asked. He passed me an 'I-wish-I-could-tell-you' glance. We spent the rest of the ride in silence.

"This is it?" Manic pondered as he hopped down from his Hummer.

"Yeah." I replied, gazing fondly upon the little house, in spite of all the yellow crime tape. "We have permission to go inside, right?" I looked up at Shadow pleadingly.

"As long as the po-po got the message." Shadow growled, scowling at Manic as he passed us to duck under the tape.

"The po-po?" I asked quizzically, not fully understanding what he meant.

"The police. The local cops." He explained heavily, as if he'd had to explain it more than once.

"Oh." My response was passive and Shadow noticed.

"Look Amy, I'm not trying to be irritable, I just… don't fully trust that Manic has our back." He whispered, glancing around to make sure the hedgehog being spoken of wasn't anywhere near. I nodded this time and then ducked under the yellow tape.

"You coming?" I prodded when Shadow took another 360 leer around the perimeter.

"Yeah." He replied slowly and gave the area another wary sweep with his eyes as he slid liquidly underneath the obstruction. "Let's go." He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him as we headed into the tiny house.

"Found her." Manic's disheartened voice carried into the foyer as we entered loudly, all three of us trying to indicate our presence to the others. Shadow, with better hearing than my own, led me into the kitchen slowly. As soon as we walked in, my eyes fell to Vanilla's lifeless body. Her eyes were wide open, but blank and empty. Looking further down her body, I found a handheld phone, pool of water, and a steak knife, the last imbedded in Vanilla's chest directly over and into, I assumed, her heart.

"Why's she still here?" I asked weakly, feeling the energy drain from me just as the color leaked from my cheeks.

"They were ordered to leave things as is by the government." Shadow explained softly. I glanced up at Shadow anxiously and then knelt down over Vanilla. Shadow took it as an okay sign to check it out. I watched briefly as he glared around the room, at the TV that was still on the news, at the darkening sky visible through the window, at the granite countertops. Then, I returned my attention to Vanilla. I felt a calmness come over me, an eerie placidity that I regarded less warily than I probably should have. With a determined deliberation about me, I ran my right hand just above Vanilla's body and closed my eyes. However, my hand bumped into the knife before I got very far.

"Hmm... Vanilla may not have known about Vector's death." Shadow said as he picked up an envelope from the counter. He turned it over in his hands and then set it back on the counter and continued his search.

"Try to find anything that may spark up what your mind saw, but didn't broadcast to you." Manic encouraged softly from across the knife to me.

"Shut up." I hissed and allowed my hand to wrap around the knife.

"I don't think you should-." Manic hesitated as my fingers closed around the blade's handle.

"I said, shut up." I snarled, opening my eyes for a split second to glare at him before closing them and returning to concentration. Just as my mind reached that pinnacle of tranquility, I faded into somewhere else.

I was still in Vanilla's house, but this time, the other hedgehogs weren't there. I blinked and looked down at my hands. They were much too large to be my own, so I calmly assumed that I was in Vanilla's body in a vision. As my mind replayed the images of the past, I released my hold on the body I possessed and receded to observer point instead of the observed. It was mid-afternoon, based on the look of the sky outside. A blueberry pie, my old favorite before I discovered apple pie and chocolate mousse cake, was baking in the oven, from what I glimpsed out of Vanilla's eyes as she leaned over to check the pie through the Plexiglas window of the oven. As well, a pot of water sat near boiling on the edge of a burner on the stove and a plastic box of strawberries neighbored it, along with a few bars of chocolate.

_That explains the water._ I thought as she adjusted the flame underneath the pot.

I watched as Vanilla stood back up and went to lean on the countertop over an envelope, which was addressed to Vector, and watch the news. Despite the lack of interesting news, Vanilla remained enthralled in the daily murders, robberies, suicides, triple homicides, manslaughters, aggravated assaults, protests, and political bashings until the phone rang. She ran into her bedroom to grab the portable phone, pausing to slip a cloth underneath the knife block and out of reach of the flame or Cream, which I eyed warily but she thought nothing of. I didn't pay much attention to the conversation entering Vanilla's ears, but did pay mind to the scream that escaped her lips.

"NO, YOU'RE WRONG!! She's coming home in two hours!!" Vanilla wailed and sprinted back through the hallways. I could pretty much guess what happened next.

Vanilla slipped on a steaming puddle of water, which had resulted from the pot boiling over due to her neglect. She fell flat on her back and the phone slid from her grasp, clattering a few feet away. Thinking to clean up the mess before she tried to stand, so she could give her back a little time to recover, she smiled as she reached up to grab the cloth that hung over the edge of the counter. However, as she yanked the cloth down, the entire knife block came with it. Just as her final screech was dragged from her throat as the steak knife dug itself into her heart, I shook myself hard and refused to look anymore at Vanilla's last stand.

"Amy… Amy? Ames please say something." Shadow's voice tugged me back to reality. I gasped and tore my hand from the handle of the knife, opening my eyes and crawling away from Vanilla's body.

"I-I sa-saw it!" I moaned and fell back into Shadow's leg.

"Saw what? What did you see, Amy?" Manic asked, devilish gleam in his eyes.

"Vanilla… death…" I managed.

"Amy." Shadow muttered my name and pulled me to my feet. My legs refused to hold me up and I fell into Shadow, who pulled one of my arms over his shoulder and wrapped his arms around me. Just as we got situated, another shiver ran down my spine, drawing Shadow's attention. "What is it, Amy?" He looked to me hesitantly, quills bristling slightly at my alarm. An image of possessed, pained, and vindictive sapphire eyes flashed across my mind and I drew a sharp breath.

"He's here." I mumbled, recognizing the gems but refusing to speak his name, thinking it to be a taboo.

"Who's here? Amy, who's here?" Manic stood and leered around with a dangerous edge to him.

"_He_ is. He's right outside." I wailed, fear rising up and my voice cracking in absolute panic. Tears began to flow reluctantly as I clung to Shadow despairingly. Shadow's ears pricked up at that instant and everything fell silent, even my desperate sobs. They flicked once… twice. Shadow roughly jerked down on my body and twisted himself to be in front of me, catching my fall with his body. I pressed myself into him and let out a loud cry, muffled by Shadow's chest fur.

_Pow!_ A gun went off nearby, way too close for comfort. Manic ducked down and snuck to the entrance to the foyer, crouching apprehensively in the doorway while reaching for a fallen knife. Shadow passed him one, then forcefully pressed my ear to his mouth.

"Your ringtone is "Rise Above This" by Seether. I chose it last night after we escaped. I've enjoyed this adventure thoroughly, but it seems like it's coming to an end really, really fast. And lastly, I think I lov-." Shadow whispered quickly, but not fast enough to avoid being cut off what happened next.

"GOD DAMNIT!!" The front door blew wide open with a single charge.

**HAHA!! 'NOTHER CLIFFHANGER!! **

**So, I answered one question for you. But here's another for ya.**

**4) Who just blew down the front door with an explosive?!**

**You'll have to wait until Chapter 10 for the answer to that question and Questions 1 and 3. (See Chapter 8).**

**Snap, Shadow got _really_ close that time, huh? He just needs to come out and _say _it! XP But then again, that wouldn't make for an exciting story, now would it? No, it wouldn't. So, his _lurve_ shall be admitted later. XD MWAHAHAHAHA!! That'll keep you on your toes looking for it! XD**

**And yes, Amy had a psychotic mind-control thingy in the middle of the chapter. She can _feel_ that kind of stuff, ya know?**

**This chapter was inspired partly by the songs "Our Horizons" by _Throw the Fight_, "Psycho" by _Puddle of Mudd_, "This Life" by _Hourcast_.**

**Thanks for reading, remember to REVIEW! The next chapter should be up soon!**


	10. Fireflight

**A/N: Well, hello there. I would just like to announce something... THERE'S ONLY TWO MORE CHAPTERS LEFT!! DX -dies- Naw, I'm not really dead. I just thought I'd let you know how much time the characters have alive. MWAHAHAHAHA!! Just kidding! I won't kill them unless I feel that it is necessary. Whoops! -pushes dead body back into pages of story- Heh. **

**WARNING: GORE IN 'DIS CHAPTA'! XD Ain't it great? I just lurve gore! XD No, I really don't lurve gore. I just tolerate it! XD **

**WARNING: SUICIDALNESS!! No one ACTUALLY commits suicide, but they give it a damn good try.**

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER HAS A err... I suppose it's a Lime... or a Citrus... I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY IT!! Let's just say it's a close-call. HOWEVER, it's obviously clean enough that I decided to keep the story at T Rating.  
I'll come in and give you a heads-up in bold before the scene, if you want to skip it and I'll add another bold note afterwards to give you a place to start again, if you don't want to read it... -sweatdrops- Heh, heh. By the way, if you don't read that, the next couple of sentences afterwards will let you know what happened (unless you are totally clueless) without the details. I DON'T NORMALLY WRITE CITRUSY STUFF!! I APOLOGIZE BEFOREHAND!! SORRY!! **

**Oh yeah, Lyrics in this chapter are property of Breaking Benjamin. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Warnings aside, please enjoy this chapter and remember to drop me a review!**

* * *

Chapter 10: Fireflight

"Where are you?" The familiar, yet malevolent voice called into the house once the dust had cleared. I choked down a wail and buried my face even deeper into Shadow. Manic turned around, hazel eyes flickering in anxiety. Shadow gave him a reassuring nod and the two exchanged some sort of male telepathy. After a few uptight seconds, Manic's fingers closed tighter around the blade he held and he leaned into a more offensive position to look out into the hallway.

"Go." Manic muttered quietly and Shadow pulled me into a crouch and leaned over me.

"We're gonna get out of here." Shadow whispered into my ear and placed his hand on my back. As he guided me to the back door, another gunshot pierced our efforts to remain silent, and I covered my mouth with my hand as the bullet soared just over Shadow's head. He snarled and swore under his breath, ducking further down so that his chin just barely touched the top of my head. "Through there." Shadow cast a glance backwards at Manic and nodded. With that silent command, Manic rose to his feet and let out a battle cry. Another gunshot flew into the kitchen and I felt Shadow tense and heard a _thwip_ as the bullet hit something.

Manic charged out of sight and yelling and gunfire followed us out as Shadow barreled through the door, bursting through it and splintering the thick wooden door with a protective arm over my face and a body over mine. Shadow sprinted to the crime tape and leapt over it nimbly with me in tow. He over-propelled himself however, and launched us several yards from the cars, but he turned himself to break my fall. When I crash-landed on top of him, we lay there for a few seconds as Shadow regained his breath. He closed his eyes tight and his breath came in short and he heaved to get enough through his system. In those few seconds, I pulled my ears back against my head and enveloped Shadow in a huge hug as fear pulled me closer to the dark incarnation of my long lost hero, then turned onto my back again. Suddenly, I felt something wet, hot, and sticky against me and I rolled off of Shadow to look for what it was. It took me a split second to register what the red stuff on my back was, but when I did, I started bawling. Shadow winced at my cries and tried to stand as I slid back to his side and pushed down gently on his chest.

"Amy… get off." Shadow growled and grabbed my arm to try to remove my resistance to his movement. However, when he pulled my hand away, his blazing ruby eyes fell to a bullet hole in his abdomen. He winced and sat up slowly.

"Shadow, please." I cried softly and begged him to stop with my eyes.

"I'll be fine… I'll probably just… n-not eat as much." He chuckled in a strained voice and stood up, pointing to where the wound was. "Clean shot, though… right through." He turned his head to look for a point of entry. It seemed as though the bullet went in at an angle, entering in the left side of his back and exiting on the right side of his tummy, probably punching a hole directly through his stomach. I moaned quietly and sniffled. "Hey, c'mere. Let me show you something." He gave me a pained grin and spread his arms to me. I slowly walked to him and allowed him to embrace me. I gave him my side and he pulled my head to his chest fluff. "Listen." He ordered gently and pressed my ear to his chest.

"What am I listening for?" I asked and looked up at him.

"Shh… just listen, will ya?" Shadow hushed me and I returned my ear to the previous spot. Eventually, I heard the gentle _Da-dum, da-dum_ that made up his heartbeat. I looked up into his burning eyes again, wondering what I was supposed to hear. "As long as that thing's still beating, I'll still be fighting, you got that?" He said, a determined edge returning to his voice. I nodded in reply and he released me. "Now, you've got to do something for me. It's very important and I can only trust you with it. You think you can handle it?" He questioned, giving me a 'well-can-ya?' smirk.

"Yeah." I said, ears pricking up as more gunfire ensued.

"Well, here's what you need to do." Shadow led me to his convertible and leaned into the car, beginning to dig through the console. "You're gonna take this." He pulled a revolver, a Ruger Super Redhawk with swing out cylinder, from the depths of the console with a devious smirk. I received it reluctantly and instantly tried to give it back. "Calm down, you'll do fine with it." Shadow huffed and slammed the console shut, then wandered around to the trunk and opened it. I followed, holding the revolver carefully extended away from my body and Shadow. "It's not cocked." Shadow looked up and tapped the hammer on the gun.

"I know how to cock a gun." I snarled and let my fingers fall more comfortably around the handle.

"Yeah." Shadow replied distractedly and dove into the shadows of the trunk.

"You alright?" I called into the darkness as I heard a yelp from within. "Hey, you're gonna be unarmed if you don't take this, so I think you should have it back." I tried to get rid of the gun. It felt strange and alien in my hands at first, but now it was starting to feel like an old friend.

"Yeah, just bumped my head." Shadow replied and crawled out of the trunk with a M16A4 in his hands. I immediately backed away and gave him room. Shadow stood up once again, this time with the M16A4 in his hands and five magazines in a makeshift belt around his waist. "And I think I'll be just dandy with my old buddy here." He said, admiring the gun he held at his side. "Now, take these." He pressed a small box of bullets into my hands and I shook my head at him. "And come with me." He pulled me to Manic's Hummer as bullets soared over our heads. "You get in here." He opened the door to the passenger's side hastily and I climbed up into the green metal beast as fast as I could manage. "And Manic and I are going to do a trade-off." He said as he climbed in on the other side and cranked the Hummer.

"What? No! You're already hurt!" I exclaimed and pushed the gun behind my back and sat up straighter to conceal it.

"I may be, but if anyone can convince a raging twin-tailed kitsune that's hell-bent on killing us to change his mind, I believe it's me, unless you can raise the dead… which I wouldn't doubt based on all the crazy shit I've seen lately. But still, I have to do this." He pulled the M16 up into the car beside him and leaned it against the door. "Manic's not strong enough to handle Tails, but he's going to take you back to my apartment in this car and he's going to wait with you there until I get back, okay?"

"Then, what's the gun for?" I inquired anxiously. He gave me a pained look and adjusted the seat to fit him. "What's the gun for, Shadow?" I pressed on, not willing to take a no response for an answer.

"I don't trust him, okay?! I just don't!" He burst out, violently punching the dashboard and denting it with the glancing blow. I stared wide-eyed in surprise at the ebony and crimson hedgehog that used to desperately try to avoid me, but now didn't want to leave me alone. "I just can't bring myself to trust him! I can't do it and I won't! You're, like, the last thing I have to hold onto…" His ruby irises flickered in concern and painfully hidden terror. Our eyes locked and I felt another wave of tranquility run over me. However, a frightfully close round of gunfire tore me from the placidity.

"SHADOW!!" Manic's desperate cries reached us even through the thick walls of the Hummer.

"Can I at least try to stop the bleeding before you go out there?" I asked pleadingly, tearing off a strip of cloth from the bottom of my skirt and another from my shirt. He slammed on the brakes just before going through the crime tape and turned in his seat to look at me. "Please." I begged urgently.

"Yeah, fine." He scooted close to me and I tossed one side of the cloth over him. He handed it back on the other side of his body. "Make it quick." I tied the cloth tight and smiled at him as he turned his head to look at me. We repeated the process five more times, interchanging between my skirt and my shirt, and I soon found myself with much more thigh showing than would have been comfortable around anyone else and a little stomach visible and thanking God that I worked out, even in the slightest.

"Okay, you're good to go." I said confidently and tugged on the last knot.

"Alright then." Shadow picked up the M16 and loaded it. He cocked the gun and carefully replaced it.

"Go, Shadow." I mumbled. His head jerked back over at me and he gave me a wily grin before slamming down on the gas petal and literally putting petal to the metal. Shadow tore through the yellow warning tape and barreled through the yard to smash on the brakes and whip the huge car around so that the driver's side faced the back door. Shadow leapt from the car and hoisted the gun above his head and let out a war cry. "Shadow, wait!" I yelled just as he started to run. He stopped and doubled back, an aggravated look on his face.

"Yeah?" He asked. "Make it fast. My trigger finger's itchy." Shadow's eyes were wild and ablaze with fear and excitement.

"Promise me… you'll come back okay." I leaned across the console to get closer. His brow rose at that and he padded back up to the car. "Because… I d-don't know wh-what I would d-do if y-you-." Tears started to well up in my eyes and I couldn't help but stutter a little in fear.

"Hey, don't worry about me." He leaned on the driver's seat, holding the gun at his side. "Because I want another one of… these…" He hopped back into the car and I couldn't help but lean into him. Our arms encircled each other and our mouths met, this time with no hesitation beforehand as the electric current that was desire and revelation made our lips catch fire in anxiety. I got caught up in the smell of his breath as he jerked away for a split second to take one, the look in his eyes as they beheld my own frantic expression, the flame of deep-ran passion and complete…

_Love?_

The caress of his hands on the small of my back, and the utter sense of belonging as his arms pulled me closer. Despite the tranquility of the moment, gunfire called us back to our shattered reality. Shadow pulled away, a longing flame now in his crimson eyes, and exited the car to begin walking away.

"Shadow…" I said and he turned around.

"I will… I promise…" He grinned brightly and, with a determined air about him, walked across the lawn. He said something else, but it was drowned out by gunshot.

"What?" I called. He shook his head and waved instead as he strode confidently into the house.

_Oh dear God! What have I gotten myself into?_

Several tense minutes later, a bloodied Manic stumbled through the burst open doorway and into the yard. He limped across the lawn, tripping occasionally on clods of grass or dirt. When I got out of the car to help him, he waved me back. Just before he entered, I readjusted the gun behind my back and pressed the box of bullets into the crack between the seat and the door.

"How'd it go?" I asked anxiously as Manic climbed into the driver's seat. He looked over at me disbelievingly, but when he saw the expression on my face, he frowned slightly.

"I was grazed more than once." He huffed and cranked the motor again.

"Oh, that sucks." I replied disappointingly.

_I really wanted more gory details than that… no pun intended. _

"So, we're meeting Shadow at his place?" I asked, trying to get some sort of mutated form of a conversation started up.

"That's the plan." Manic sighed as he took two attempts to pull out of the position Shadow had driven his Hummer into.

"Hmm… okay then." I muttered and looked out the window, watching a flash of yellow cross the doorway, followed by a blur of black and red. My eyes grew wider and I looked away. I could still _feel_ Shadow's lips on mine.

"You have an alternative?" Manic asked willingly, driving slowly up the embankment.

"No, just asking." I said in a taken aback kind of tone.

"Oh, okay." Manic's face fell despondently. As I took one last look at the house, Manic jerked the Hummer quickly onto the only road out.

_Shadow._

When it became apparent that conversation would be scarce as water in the Sahara Desert, I took to staring out of the window. However, it wasn't the cars that interested me, but the sunset. At first, it started with shades of orange and yellow, individual reflections on clouds changing every second as the pressure noticeably dropped, allowing for more menacing clouds to move in and blot out the smaller, more wispy cirrus clouds. These newer clouds looked heavy and brutal as they seethed around the pulsating ball of light that descended to the edge of the horizon almost reluctantly. With the first distant rumble of thunder, the sky ignited with hot pinks and electric oranges. The clouds darkened from deep violet to pitch black, but the last rays of the sun defiantly remained to spite the darkness. But, the resistance couldn't last forever as the source of the light slipped over the edge. The last reflections of red and violet were swallowed in blackness as a fierce lightning bolt raced across the skyline and struck them down. I sighed heavily as thunder roared much closer to us and thick raindrops finally began to slide over the windshield.

"Damn storms." Manic muttered and flicked on his windshield wipers. I glanced over my shoulder at him, but decided to keep quiet. I turned back to the now totally black sky just in time to see another burst of lightning rip through the clouds and illuminate every imperfection in their surfaces. Although I wasn't paying much attention to the road and the signs outside due to nature's firework show, I was able to notice Manic tense up as he turned the car slightly. I didn't pay him much mind.

_Probably just switching lanes._ I thought to myself and looked down into the hiding place of the bullet box.

After what seemed like hours, the thunder finally ceased and left the rain to finish off the storm. However, the rain eventually smoothed out into a shower rather than a waterfall. Minutes later, I found that the engine was no longer cranked and the headlights were now off. The only light that gave me any reassurance that I wasn't alone was a lone streetlamp off several yards to the left and behind a wall. I jerked my head to Manic questioningly; discovering that the only thing I could see was his outline.

"Manic, where are we?" I asked nervously. "This sure as hell doesn't look like the parking lot of Shadow's apartment." I remarked, laughing uneasily.

"That's because it isn't." He said simply, shrugging in the darkness.

"Well, where are we?" I repeated the question more urgently this time.

"In one of the alleys in Station Square." His voice was more hoarse than normal.

"Well, why are we here?" I nervously looked out the window and watched a car pass on the street.

_Driver didn't even glance over here…_

"No one will ever know." Manic's eyes flicked up to me and caught the light curiously. He moved closer and I scooted closer to the door. Just as my hand closed around the handle, the locks clicked down. "Child Safety Lock's on. You can only open it from the outside." His lips curled upwards and fangs that couldn't have been there before glinted in the dim light.

"Wh-wha-?" I breathed, not yet comprehending the _full_ danger I was in. Manic sniffed the air and I clamped my mouth shut. He moved in closer and dug his nose just behind my ear.

"Hmm… seems my luck's changing… but I smell… Shadow." He growled at that last word.

"Wh-what does Shadow smell like?" I plucked up enough courage to ask, obviously not adept in sensing the different males' scents.

"Kinda like vanilla… but that's beside the point." He seemed distracted for a split second as he removed his face from behind my ear, but then refocused on me. I felt my eyes widen as fear took up a chokehold on my neck and I swallowed a scream. His eyes switched from my face to my slightly exposed belly and my shortened skirt.

_Shit._

**A/N: Hey, it's me again! Here's your warning! Scroll until you hit the next bold area if you feel uncomfortable about close-calls. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!**

"Manic?" I whispered and struggled to draw his attention. He looked up briefly, but the Manic that I knew was long gone. His eyes had a reddish gleam to them now and his face was more wild and sly.

_Red eyes only look hot on crimson-streaked ebony hedgehogs._

"The point is… Shadow's scent won't be there when I'm through." His grin turned more maniacal and his hand slid across the console.

"Wai-!" I started to scream and a hand closed over my mouth. Manic's head rose back up to my ear and hovered there.

"I wonder… what will Shadow do when he discovers this little catch?" Manic laughed insanely. I soon felt something rough invade my fur behind my ear and knew… Manic had just laid the ultimate claim on me, other than actual… well… intercourse. I pulled away and my ears folded back against my head, but Manic's arm snaked around my back and pulled me into him. Manic pried my ear from my head and licked me again, but this time I wretched away violently.

"Stop!" I hissed angrily, prepared to ram my fist into his face.

"No one will ever know." He grinned again and his other hand migrated to my thigh.

"Don't even." I snarled.

"Oh, why would I ever?" His hand slid under the skirt and progressed up my thigh, stopping when it met the hem of my panties, his body moving over the console and into my seat. His breath was hot on my face and his eyes dared me to oppose him. "You know, I can do so much better than that fake hedgehog probably ever could." He breathed into my ear.

"You make one more move and I'll-." I warned, voice shaky in fear.

"What? Scream for help? No one can hear you." He replied confidently. Just as he started to pull down my panties, I remembered the gun.

**A/N: OKAY, YOU CAN LOOK AGAIN NOW!! Sorry for the citrus... -whimpers and hides- Don't hate me for it! **

With a snarl, I whipped the revolver out and pressed it to his temple.

"Hands off me." I growled venomously, pressing the barrel further into his head. He instantly removed his hands and scooted over in the seat. "In the driver's seat." I added, taking note of the tight space. Manic obliged and climbed into the driver's seat, all the while with me holding a gun to him. As I wiped Manic slobber off of my ears and fixed my skirt and readjusted my underwear, I held the gun one-handed in front of Manic.

"Ha!" Manic cried and snatched the gun from my grasp. I wailed and lunged to retrieve it, only to be batted back down into my seat. "It's loaded, right?" I saw a bit of the old Manic come back as he turned the gun over and over in his hands. Then, he held it to his own head and pulled the hammer down. "See you on the other side." He snarled, malicious form returning.

"No, Manic!" I screamed as he pulled the trigger.

_Click._ Nothing happened.

"The hell?" Manic glared at the gun and flicked the barrel open. "Misfire then." He waved it off and returned the gun to his head. He yanked the hammer down again. He pulled the trigger again and I winced, bracing myself for a loud bang.

_Click._ Still nothing.

"No, I just want out of this hellhole! NO!" He refused to accept no for his fate.

_Click. Click. Click._ Zero. Zilch. Nada.

"WHY CAN'T I DIE!?" He screamed angrily, tears starting to flow freely down his muzzle and desperation tangible in the air.

_Click._ Nothing.

"WHY!?" He wailed and unlocked the car, tearing out into the alley. "KILL ME!!" He screamed to the unhearing night sky.

"That won't happen, Manic." I called and opened my door, glaring at him and ignoring the bullet box that just fell into the mud. He turned back in that instant and scowled at the bullet box.

"You planned for me to betray you?" He barked disbelievingly.

"N-no." I stuttered.

"Well, who did?" He reeled and collapsed in the mud in a heap.

"I… I don't-" I walked to him and stood over him.

"Shadow did, right?" He reached up and yanked me down by my shirt. I shook my head and bit my lip, reluctant to give Shadow away. His eyes went blank for a split second and his expression faded.

"No." I lied, looking away from him.

"You know what I just saw?" His breath was expelled explosively. I shook my head vigorously. "Shadow's dying. He'll soon be just as dead as your last boyfriend." Manic laughed evilly and a demonic smirk perched itself on his lips.

"You're wrong!" I spat defiantly.

"And then you'll be all alone and wishing you had me back." He continued in a singsong voice.

"NO!" I cried out and flattened my ears against my head again.

"And you'll just grow old and the autumn effect will take you." Manic pressed on like a bat out of hell, clambering out of the mud and pushing me away. A flash of metal and blood flickered across my mind and I knew someone's time had come. "Hell, I might as well just _leave _you here." He walked to the end of the alley and looked out into the road.

"Manic… don't go out there." I muttered. Manic turned around to get a good look at me.

"Screw you." He growled and stepped out into the street.

"MANIC!" I wailed incessantly.

"What are you afraid that the only thing you have left is going to get run ov-? At that second, a bus careened down the street and slammed headlong into Manic. Manic burst like a balloon, splattering me with blood as I screamed bloody murder. I fell to my knees in the mud and remained there, crying despairingly.

"Damn you, Manic." I moaned and let the tears run rivers down my face since no one could tell the difference between tears and raindrops. A low rumble of thunder returned my cry and I despondently glared at the sky. Then, I fell into a sobbing fit that I couldn't stop. My cries weren't for the hedgehog whose blood ran my shirt red, but for the hedgehog that was the only thing I had left to hold onto, but was doomed. I continued bawling…

…Until I heard the music.

"_Just call my name_

_You'll be okay_

_Your scream is burning through my veins"_

_My phone's ringing! Shadow's ringtone! What the hell, why not?_

"SHADOW!!" I called into the broken night sky. Thunder roared in reply and as quick as a lightning strike, a thought popped into my brain.

_Shadow's apartment._

Despite my confidence as I leapt into the driver's seat of the Hummer, my whole body shook as Shadow's broken and bloodied body flashed across my mind's eye.

"_As long as that thing's still beating, I'll still be fighting…" _Shadow's voice echoed determinedly in my mind.

_But, how much longer will it keep beating? _I threw the Hummer into drive and charged out onto the street.

--

**A/N: Well, that was an entertaining chapter, huh? XD Once again, sorry for the citrus/close-call! -winces- Hey, the ShadAmy kiss makes up for it though, right? YOU GOT YOUR WISH!! Hooray for the couple, but will they be alive long enough for Shadow to tell Amy he loves her? YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL CHAPTER 11!! I'm working hard to try and get it up soon! **

**The whole lick behind the ear thing... (If you didn't read the citrus, you won't understand) was invented by a wonderful author on here, Fortune. I give that credit to Fortune.**

**Thanks so much for reading! Don't forget to review!**


	11. Anger Cage

**A/N: Yay! I finally got it up! Believe it or not, this was a hard chapter to write... I don't know how or why, it just _was_. **

**Anyway, I'm too tired to actually have a legit author's note until the end of the chapter because I just don't have much to warn you about or discuss at the moment. **

**WARNING: This chapter has a little graphicness, but it's nothing compared to what you've been reading. XP**

**Lyrics are property of Seether, no copyright infringement intended.**

**Enjoy this chapter and please drop me a review afterwards! Thanks a ton!**

* * *

Chapter 11: Anger Cage

For some strange reason, a little voice in the back of my head told me not to answer the cell phone that sat ringing incessantly in the passenger seat. And, that's the voice I tended to listen to. The entire drive consisted of me wiping my muzzle clear of the tears, me gripping the steering wheel like I would fall off the face of the planet if I didn't hold on, and me praying for God to give me something other than the cell phone ringing to take as hope.

Soon but not soon enough, I climbed from the Hummer and slid neatly to the asphalt ground of the parking lot. I walked carefully around the Hummer and found Shadow's convertible two spots down. Sneaking over, I peered inside the convertible carefully, trying not to set off the car alarm. My face fell as I noticed a glistening off-color stain on the driver's seat.

"I won't be too late again." I growled and set off for the front door of the apartment building. However when I yanked on the handle, the door refused to budge.

_No key, no entry._

I stood outside the front door and tapped my foot impatiently, waiting for an idea to pop up. Then, I figured it out just as the first lightning bolt of the new storm burst across the sky.

_Fire escape!_

I crept around the building to the back alley, halfway expecting that wacko guy to come up again. However, no one bothered me as I stealthily leapt onto the ladder and climbed up to the second floor. About ten minutes later, I laboriously clambered on the deck of the seventh floor, Shadow's floor. As I collapsed face-first onto the wet metal and raindrops begged to drown me, I pressed my cheek into the cold floor, choked on water, and smiled.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

I returned to my feet after a minute and then realized that the sliding door was wide open and every light in the apartment was off. Rain relentlessly threw itself into the room, hell-bent on destroying _something_. Worry didn't even describe the feeling that coursed through my veins. With a reserved edge, I set foot in the once familiar, but now sinister room.

"Shadow?" I called into the darkness, receiving no response.

_Death feeds, hell breeds. _

"Shadow, are you in here?" I called again, taking another step inside and trying in vain to pierce the veil of darkness that now pressed over my eyes with no success.

_Don't go in._ Now that little voice in the back of my head was giving me a warning I didn't want to listen to. Shadow's solemn face from just after the roller coaster accident passed in front of my eyes.

"_Making sure you're awake?" _Shadow's voice asked me.

"No. I already know I'm dreaming." I mumbled. Something flicked on my peripheral and I jerked my head to get a look at it, but found nothing. "Shadow?" I yelled a little louder this time.

_Danger zone._ I took another step inside, leering warily from side to side in order to catch any movements. _You're giving yourself a death sentence. _

"Shut the hell up!" I muttered to myself.

"_To die is to know that you're alive." _Shadow sang in my ear.

_Your river of blood won't run dry._

"Shadow?" I whispered now.

"Amy!" My ears pricked up.

_Was that Shadow?_

Something moved on my peripheral again, on the other side of the room this time.

_Turn back now._ That ongoing voice squeaked in my mind. I padded softly to the couch and pressed my hand into it, trying to orient myself in the dark.

"Amy." Something whispered my name from behind me. I whirled around to face the same old blackness. Growling in annoyance, I turned back around and felt along the wall to the hallway that connected the bathroom and our bedrooms together. The only remote light I received was from a tiny window and, with the continuously darkening sky, it was getting darker the by the second. I could have sworn I saw a lump in the middle of the hallway, but couldn't convince myself to investigate. "Amy." This time, my name was muttered from in front of me. I fearfully backed into the door that led to Shadow's room.

_Am I going insane or something?_ Hysteria started to set in as I tried despairingly to calm myself. Suddenly, my ears flicked as the ringtone Shadow had set for me started playing faintly from the living room.

_"Take the light_

_And darken everything around me._

_Call the clowns_

_And listen closely_

_I'm lost without you."_

"Shadow!" I shouted and ran into the living room, only to be disappointed by no one running up to hug me and scold me and say that he never should have left.

_Wait a sec, I'm not calling Shadow's phone. So, who's using my phone to call Shadow?_ I glanced over my shoulder at the open screen door. _I left my cell in the car._ The realization dawned on me and I staggered back to the couch.

"_Call your name every day_

_When I feel so helpless_

_I've fallen down_

_But, I'll rise above this_

_Rise above this"_

Shadow's phone was _moving_. I stood again to try and locate his phone and hopefully the owner as well. An eerie feeling passed through me as I padded through the kitchen.

_There's so many ways I could… die… in this one room._

"Shadow?" I whispered yet again. Fear was starting to work its magic again now that the darkness had totally sealed me in. I ventured onward through the apartment, all the while choking down screams of desperation. As I passed through the living room for the fourth time, I took a glance outside. Rain had been replaced by tiny ice crystals, hail.

_That's not a good sign._ Another arc of lightning pierced the pitch-blackness and I shuddered.

"Oh my God." I moaned hopelessly as I stumbled through the hallway again. Suddenly, I fell absolutely flat on my face, tripping over something solid that could have been anything.

_"Hate the mind _

_Regrets are better left unspoken _

_For all we know _

_This void will grow"_

As I turned over on my back, quills bristling in annoyance and ears flicking as they searched for the location of the cell phone, a fierce bolt of lightning shattered the dark sheet that cloaked my vision, revealing my obstacle to be the very person I was looking for.

"Ames." The dark hedgehog groaned as the light illuminated his ruby streaked ebony body.

"Shadow!" I exclaimed and threw my arms around him, avoiding the bullet wound I had concealed beneath makeshift bandages. "Are you okay?" I looked him over, already having the answer in mind. Abruptly, eerie sirens began to wail above the now shrieking winds and pounding hailstones as they grew larger. I had only heard this particular siren one time before then and instantly knew to fear it.

"Amy… run… get out of here…" Shadow breathed as he struggled to stand.

"B-but, I don't need to be outside during a-."

"What's in… here… is much more… d-dangerous th-than… anything out there…" He finally managed to find his feet.

"What do you mean?" If Shadow said something like that, I knew he meant it. However, I didn't exactly know what he was talking about.

"Behind you!" Shadow yelled and jerked me out of the way, to the left and then behind him. A ragged form rose from the darkness and sauntered forward. "I told you to get the hell out!" Shadow snarled, swaying backwards slightly.

"Is that-?" I started to ask.

"Yes, I'm the homeless 'dude' that you so violently rejected a while back. I've been feeling a bit vindictive since then and I think it's time to claim what's mine." The man's face became visible as another bolt of lightning lit up the room.

"Psh, yeah right." I said under my breath as Shadow tensed just as the sky did. Thunder roared across the night and into Shadow's apartment.

"You're so sure?" He asked as he drew seven beautifully glistening gems from the dark. I gaped incredulously while Shadow let out a guttural growl and positioned himself completely in front of me.

"Where did you get those?" I barked angrily and disbelievingly.

"It's really a shame you didn't remember these pretty things at your old place." He sneered at me. I facepalmed myself while Shadow winced.

"You've been stalking us?" I wailed, cringing back against the wall.

"Yes actually, since your protector here attacked me." He motioned casually to Shadow.

"You started it!" I yelled rather immaturely for the situation. Our attacker held up two objects, Shadow's cell phone and my cell phone.

_"And everything's in vain _

_Distressing you though it leaves me open _

_Feels so right _

_But I'll end this all before it gets me"_

"So, these gems will give me anything I want?" He asked openly, curiously staring into the facets of the red emerald. Shadow remained dead silent, but started shaking from the effort of just standing. Several tense moments later, the man's eyes acquired a malevolent gleam and I pressed my back further into the wall. "AMY!" He bellowed and the Chaos Emeralds let out a burst of light that enveloped me. I was flown through space in a convenient fun-size as I was sucked through a straw-like vortex into the man's waiting arms. The instant I dizzily fell against him, his right arm came around my neck and locked me in a chokehold. I had enough sense at the time to bring my chin to my chest so that he wasn't necessarily choking me, just holding me. Apparently, he still laughed victoriously and evilly like he was squeezing the life out of me.

"AMY!" Shadow screamed and leapt out at the man.

"_Call your name every day_

_When I feel so helpless_

_I've fallen down (fallen down)_

_And I'll rise above this_

_Rise above this"_

Shadow managed a roundhouse kick before getting thrown via Chaos power across the room and into the hallway again. He slammed back-first into the wall and fell from a Shadow-sized hole in the wall. With a snarl, Shadow let loose a Chaos Spear that embedded itself directly into the man's right arm. The man howled in pain and released me, the movement tearing his muscle even further. Shadow, in spite of the hard hit, got shakily to his feet and pulled me to my own feet.

"Are you okay?" He panted and embraced me.

"Perfect." I breathed into one black velvety ear.

"I hate to interrupt such a passionate reunion yet again." The man growled and stomped back over, though his stomps were barely audible over the incessantly wailing alarm. "But, someone's gotta take a bullet." A gun materialized from thin air, indicating that it was the work of Chaos.

_"Call your name every day_

_When I seem so helpless_

_I've fallen down (fallen down)_

_And I'll rise above this_

_Rise above this now"_

Another burst of Chaos launched Shadow into the coffee table, temporarily immobilizing him beneath a pile of splintered wood and shattered glass.

"AMY!!" Shadow yelled from under the debris. I fearfully backed into another wall as the man advanced towards me.

"Since you're so reluctant, perhaps a little violent encouragement will force you to give me what I want." A toothy smirk spread across his face and I found myself locked in his wicked glare.

"_I'll mend myself before it gets me_

_I'll mend myself before it gets me_

_I'll mend myself before it gets me_

_I'll mend myself before it gets me"_

_Shit._

A fist crashed into my cheek and my neck snapped to the right. I tried to hold up my arms to deflect the now rampant blows in vain. Fists and feet mercilessly pounded into me and destroyed the once semi-confident attitude I had possessed. Unable to counter, I fell to the floor in a semi-conscious heap, followed down by a rain of punches. I tried to stand again, only to be roundhouse kicked in the face. My head jerked to the right and my body followed. I slammed into one of the barstools and remained there, panting heavily and pleading for some streak of luck. I felt a yank on the back of my head and suddenly, my feet were dangling off the ground. The man had his hand closed in a vice-like grip on the nape of my neck.

"Wouldn't it have been so much easier if you would have just given up?" He asked, breath hot on my face. I wearily glared into his eyes, receiving a vehement one in response. Suddenly, a voice long awaited growled from the remains of the coffee table.

"Let her go." Shadow growled angrily. There was something different about him, something I couldn't quite distinguish from fury, but also something that was familiar. Shadow stood once more, scowling disapprovingly at our antagonist. Abruptly, I realized what was happening.

_Sonic's gone this far before, but I never knew Shadow was capable either…_

A dark aura converged around Shadow and his beautiful crystalline irises disappeared in a sea of white. An irate grin spread over Shadow's lips as his crimson streaks faded into black, save for a single blood red streak along his left arm.

"I said, let her go." Shadow repeated threateningly. He fingered his left locking bracelet contemplatively, probably pondering whether or not he should unleash his true power. I braced myself for pain as the barrel of a gun was pressed into my temple. I moaned lightly in response. Shadow's aura darkened even more just as the siren struck up another lonely wail. "AMY!" Shadow bellowed vehemently. Everything moved in a blur past that.

"_Call your name every day_

_When I feel so helpless_

_I've fallen down (fallen down)_

_And I'll rise above this_

_Rise above this"_

The only thing I could distinguish from the skirmish was a gunshot as I was launched harmlessly onto the couch. When I recovered, Shadow was just delivering a brutal kick to the man's back and I swore I heard it crack. With the man winded, Shadow took the chance to send him a crushing wake up call to the face. Alert again, he swung out at Shadow, but Shadow moved too fast for the man to catch. Giving out the final blow, Shadow's hand closed around the man's neck and snapped it with a single almost effortless squeeze. Instantly, the man collapsed as blood began to pool beneath him. Shadow blinked, white eyes going dim for a split second as he looked up emotionlessly from his victim.

"Shadow!" I wailed, desperately trying to call him back from the depths of rage. His ruby irises reappeared once more and his red streaks rematerialized from the black fur, but the aura remained, as did a frown. "Please come back Shadow."

"_Forty-eight ways to say_

_That I'm feelin' helpless_

_I've fallen down (fallen down)_

_And I'll rise above this_

_Rise above this_

_Rise above this_

_Rise above this now"_

As he walked towards me, the cloud of darkness disappeared until there was nothing left of it.

"Thank God, Shadow!" I whimpered as I pressed my face into the white tuft of fur on his chest.

"Amy." Shadow suddenly said, a dull edge to his voice. I looked up at him eagerly, until I saw the expression of absolute agony on his face.

"Shadow, no… No, please God, no!" I cried as the tornado finally reached us. Complete chaos ensued as various pieces of debris flew through the walls and the open door, eventually resorting in the walls and roof actually coming off, all the while the siren still screeched its warning, though we had not heeded it. A rough tongue gently licked the back of my ear and I looked up, this time my ear not folding back. Shadow's slightly amused smile greeted me as his arms encircled me protectively, until it became a pained grin.

"Amy, I… I'm s-sorry…" Shadow weakly gave me one last smile before collapsing in a growing puddle of his own blood.

"SHADOW, NO!!" I cried and fell with him, narrowly escaping impalement on a piece of plywood. A new bullet hole had appeared and, considering the location, Shadow's right lung was torn. He heaved in order to keep breathing as ebony eyelids fell over ruby crystalline irises. "DON'T LEAVE ME!!" I screamed over the howl of the wind as tears rolled freely down my bruised cheeks.

"Sometimes... g-good-bye... is a... s-second chance..." Shadow whispered hoarsely, though he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes. I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn't do it... "I... love you..." He muttered and heaved another breath. Now, I couldn't believe my ears.

_C'mon Ames! Listen to him! HE LOVES YOU!! _Sonic's voice echoed in my head. I shook my head vigorously and blinked away tears.

"I love you too, Shadow..." I swallowed nervously.

_You may never get another chance._

"I love you too, Shadow. And... good-bye." I cried in pure reluctance and pain. I grabbed hold of his hand and felt his tighten around mine, reluctant to let go of life. "SHADOW!!" I cried out as the storm enveloped us in pure hell.

--

**A/N: OMG!! ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER!! I'm so evil with these things! XP Well, they got to admit their lurve finally, right?**

**Bet 'cha didn't see the tornado coming! XD lol. The lack of them in my area for this time of year has given me enough concern that I include them in my writing...**

**Another OMG!! Dark Super Shadow!! What did you think about Dark Shadow?**

**Ya'll need to start praying that I allow Shadow to live!! MWAHAHAHAHA!! (evil grin)**

**Shadow: You better let me live, damn it! **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ONLY ONE MORE LEFT!! (cries) KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THE EXCITING CONCLUSION OF FINAL DESTINATION: SONIC STYLE!! PLEASE REMEMBER TO LEAVE A REVIEW!! XD**


	12. A Second Chance

**A/N: OMG!! It's finally HERE!! Here's the much anticipated conclusion for _Final Destination: Sonic Style!!_ I'm just thanking God that I'm finally done! XD**

**For once, there really nothing to warn you about. Isn't that a surprise? lol**

**Lyrics are property of Rob Thomas. No copyright infringement intended. **

**Well, except that... XD**

**Please enjoy and take a look at the Author's Note at the end for the location of a deleted scene!! **

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Chapter 12: A Second Chance

_One month later…_

"You survived a freakin' tornado?!" Tails asked incredulously as he attempted to sneak over Shadow's shoulder and snag a hot dog from the grill.

"Yeah, it was intense as hell! It felt like the whole world was falling down around us." Shadow replied in a prideful tone, catching Tails's aggressive movements on the corner of his eye and carefully watching. Just as Shadow had expected, Tails burned his hand on the dog as he tried to pull it from the grill. Tails yelped in surprise and jerked his hand back with no dog to show for his efforts.

"Wow Tails, that was stupid." I remarked from poolside. It was just the three of us in the backyard of Tails's place having a cookout. A hot westerly breeze did nothing but stir the thick summer air. This meant that everything was centered around the pool or in the house because there was no sense in attempting to do anything incredibly active while the heat was so oppressive.

"You would know." Tails sneered back, receiving a warning glare from Shadow as a consequence.

"No actually, I wouldn't. Why don't you describe it to me?" I replied scathingly, flicking my sunglasses up so I could look Tails eye to eye. Tails mumbled something lividly and stomped across the yard to a small wooden table with three place settings. I watched carefully for any signs of malicious intent, but found none in the kitsune other than the occasional tightening of his fist. While Tails was trudging angrily around the yard, Shadow took the opportunity to close the black lid of the grill and allow the dogs to get a little more heat; although not before grappling with a single hotdog until he cut off two small pieces from the middle of it. Shadow took his four hotdog pieces in hand and strode off towards Tails. Carefully, Shadow extended the two larger end pieces to Tails as a peace offering. Shadow cocked his head curiously and analyzed Tails's every movement critically. With a small glare, Tails reached out and practically ripped the meat from Shadow's outstretched hand. As his fangs tore a piece off of one of the hotdogs, a smile replaced the glare and he closed his eyes in content. With little to no resistance, Tails returned to his normal self and went back to milling around the yard. I watched silently as Shadow trotted over to my lounge chair and knelt beside it with the remaining two pieces of the hotdog.

"Try it." He ordered and pressed one of the pieces into my palm. Though my eyes were supposed to be on the hotdog in my hand, I couldn't help but glance at the half-tuft of white fur and the scar tissue in the other half's place.

"Thanks." I muttered as I lifted the meat up to my mouth, catching whiffs of pure heaven with each inhale. I popped the meat in my mouth before I shoved it up my nose to permanently draw in the scent of a perfectly cooked hotdog. Shadow grinned brightly as I heaved a sigh of pure content.

"Good?" He tilted his head to one side and shifted his weight towards me.

"Absolutely." I replied after a long moment of savoring the miniscule bite.

"But how good?" His grin twisted deviously and I knew he was plotting something.

"I… I don't know." I shrugged and swung my legs out to the side of the lounge chair, gently placing my feet on the wet concrete ground. The devilish smile grew even wider as he turned towards me.

"I think I know what's better." He said slowly, winking mischievously. Before I could realize what his intentions were, it was already too late. Shadow sprang at me, pushing just hard enough to send me careening off of the chair and towards the water. However, what he didn't count on was my own determination. I managed to snag his wrist and yank him down with me as I fell. He didn't resist much as I pulled him down. In fact, he laughed the whole way until we broke the surface of the once flat pool. I held my breath, but peered through the chlorine-wracked water. A black shape materialized against the blue and wrapped itself around me gently. I relaxed completely, putting all faith in the dark as my lungs began to shriek for oxygen. I felt only the slightest tug and then… I broke the surface once more, gasping for air but still breathing.

At least until his lips crushed to mine.

He was simply amazing. He could keep himself afloat, me up, and kiss me all at the same time.

_I'll be damned if Shadow isn't the best multi-tasker ever. _

My lips moved to his, answering his questions that, despite being mute, became more urgent with every action. Finally, Shadow had managed to maneuver us to the extremely shallow water of the stairs that led into the pool. Just as Shadow went up for a breath however, Tails cleared his throat in annoyance, shattering the mood.

"Shadow, the dogs are gonna burn if you leave them unattended for too long." He suggested, nodding towards the grill.

"Oh… oh right." Shadow stood slowly, pulling me to my feet as well. He meandered back to his station and began to work, while I remained with my feet submerged in the water. I sighed heavily, alerting Tails to my odd mood.

"You don't know how lucky you are." He murmured irritably before stomping off again.

"You may be right… but then again, you're probably dead wrong." I whispered as I stepped carefully out of the pool. Tails froze instantly, his fists balling up at his sides as he fought to control his anger. I rooted myself to the spot as well like a deer in the headlights. However, Tails quickly regained power and went about his business. It was only when he was a good 30 feet away before I moved again though.

Around ten minutes later, the three of us were seated around the small table and conversing like old times between bites of hotdog, potato salad, baked beans, and swigs of various soft drinks. Despite the familiarity of the situation, another memorable, but vile feeling was looming on the very edge of my mind, causing me to merely nod or shake my head as I concentrated on identifying this sensation.

Somewhere between "Pass the mustard, Tails." And "Remember when we beat Eggman that time…", I didn't have to search anymore.

"**You ready to go?" Shadow asked me anxiously; somehow still skinny after around 6 hotdogs had entered his stomach next to thirds on the luscious potato salad and the perfect baked beans. I only nodded back, glancing nervously from side to side. **

"**Leaving already?" Tails moaned, sliding a little more down his seat to the ground. **

"**Yeah, we've got to head to another check up. Those docs just won't give up 'til they've got all the money you've got." Shadow exasperated, wrapping an arm around me. **

"**Let me drive you. I mean, if the docs are taking your money like that, the gas prices must be taking bigger chunks out." Tails offered politely, extending one hand towards the hanger/garage that inhabited the left side of the house. **

"**You don't have to do that, Tails!" Shadow exclaimed. **

"**I own you one though." Tails murmured. **

"**Yeah, but you don't have to pay us back immediately." Shadow continued to protest. I glanced quickly at my watch.**

"**Crap, we're so gonna be late." I groaned as I showed Shadow the time. **

"**No prob! The Tornado's probably faster than that new Viper anyway." Tails waved my distress off. **

_**Tornado…**_

"_Amy! Where are you?!" Sonic cried out desperately. I could hear his footsteps above the rubble, searching endlessly for me. _

My past was interfering with my future.

"_Sonic!" I yelled weakly, choking on dust that had lodged firmly in my lungs._

"Amy?" Shadow's voice probed as I closed my eyes and tried to block everything past and present out.

"**This isn't right! The weather reports called for light and variable winds and little to no cloud cover!" Tails yelped over the howling winds, each gust trying to rip us from our seats.**

_A dirty gloved hand reached down through a fissure in the debris and closed around my wrist while a scratched cerulean face popped up in the crack, almost blocking out all light, but not completely. _

"**PULL UP, TAILS!" Shadow screamed, pulling me into his chest protectively and pressing my face into him, covering my head with his arms. **

"**Negative! We're gonna crash!" **

"_Amy! Are you okay?" _

I staggered to my feet, only barely aware of the two pairs of eyes fixated on me.

"**DAMN IT, TAILS!! DON'T GIVE UP!! PULL US OUT!!"**

_This is it…_

"_Hold on to your second chances, Ames. You won't get another chance to mend the broken seams after this." _

_Great, now Sonic's talking to me._

"Hello, Amy? Earth to Amy!"

"**Everybody get down…" Shadow snarled, not truly willing to say the words.**

"_Go Amy! Get out of here!" Sonic yelled after me, pushing my feet faster and faster, propelling me farther and farther away with each stride towards freedom. _

"Amy!" Shadow was standing directly in front of me now, his image flashing between color and sepia. I clutched at my head despairingly, trying to orient myself as Shadow's eyes flicked from ruby to crimson-gold to emerald.

**I didn't dare rip my eyes from Shadow's chest, for I knew I would only see my doom.**

"Are you okay, Amy?" Shadow tilted his head slightly, a worried expression on his face.

"Yeah…" I responded woozily. "For the moment…" I added in a whisper. Shadow's ears twitched and his eyes widened, though Tails remained oblivious.

"What is it?" Shadow asked quickly in a low voice. I just gave him a strained look, for Tails's brow pulled down in suspicion more and more as we remained standing. "I think we should be going." Shadow turned back to Tails, all expression of concern gone.

"Already?" Tails asked, a disappointed look crossing his face.

"Err… yeah… I have a check up, if I remember correctly." Shadow looked back to me and I made a face at him.

"Wouldn't be the first time you forgot something." Tails muttered as Shadow pivoted to leave. Shadow froze and I felt the atmosphere immediately tense as I moved closer to Shadow.

"What did you just say?" Shadow growled incredulously.

"It wouldn't be the first time you forgot." Tails repeated, editing a touch. Shadow leaned forward on the balls of his feet in anticipation of a brawl while Tails nervously edged towards the house.

"You wanna take that back?" Shadow's fists tightened and his lips curled up over his teeth.

"Shadow, don't go there." I earnestly pushed for peace.

"The only thing I'm taking back is my offer to take you to the doctor's." Tails scowled, warranting a 'shut-up; glare from me. Shadow smirked darkly.

"Guys! Quit it!" I insisted.

"Stay out of it, Amy!" Tails bellowed, receiving a demonic roar from Shadow.

"C'mon, Shadow. Let's go home." I urged gently, prodding his uninjured side softly. Shadow instantly calmed and turned his back to Tails. His eyes focused on me directly.

"You're right. Let's go." He wrapped one arm around my waist and pulled me along beside him to the brand new white Dodge Viper with two cobalt racing stripes.

"Good riddance!" Tails called after us. Shadow roughly slammed the door and pumped up the volume on the stereo. However when I got in, he didn't pull away. Instead, he looked back to the house. I turned as well and watched as Tails retreated into the backyard. And still, Shadow didn't pull away.

"What are you waiting for?" I exclaimed impatiently. He held one finger to my lips, but I shoved his arm to the side with a huff. Suddenly, a mushroom cloud of fire and smoke erupted from the behind the house. Shadow tore from the driveway as fast as he could, slamming his foot down on the accelerator.

"That."

"Shouldn't we see if he's okay?" I asked as we hit the highway. He gave me a 'you're-actually-asking-me-that' glare across the console. "Yeah, you're probably right." I turned my head away to gaze out into the green blur that made up the roadside.

"You know we'll either get a funeral notice or a very pissed off letter." Shadow smirked at me knowingly. I scowled at his crude belief, but he changed my mind with a single kiss.

Sure enough one week later, we received an incredibly angry note from Tails that, though led one to believe he didn't ever want to see us again, invited us back for dinner next Friday… and a second chance at a broken friendship to frame our oddball love… Shadow wrote the response.

_Tails,_

_What, are you stupid? Of course we'll come back, despite the fact that you no longer possess a grill. However if you manage to make the microwave blow up, you'll be on thin ice with us. _

_Your buds,_

_Shadow and Amy_

So, it really wasn't much of a surprise when Tails refused to use the microwave on Friday. Instead, he insisted on making Kraft Macaroni & Cheese on the stove, while Shadow rented _Cloverfield _on Pay-Per-View and I found myself inhabiting a very comfortable spot next to him as the world blew up, for once, not anywhere near us.

_"Don't you wanna go for a ride  
Just keep your hands inside  
And make the most out of life  
Now don't you take it for granted"_

_"Life is like a mean machine  
It made a mess outta me  
It left me caught between  
Like an anchored dream I was stranded, I was stranded"_

_"And I'm steady but I'm starting to shake  
And I don't know how much more I can take"_

_"This is it now  
Everybody get down  
This is all I can take  
This is how a heart breaks  
You take a hit now  
__you feel it break down  
Make you stay wide awake  
This is how a heart breaks"_

_-"This Is How A Heart Breaks" by Rob Thomas_

The End... of Their Beginning.

--

**A/N: WOOT!! Congrats, you've finished reading the story!! Well, not quite really... -devious smirk- I will be releasing a deleted scene from between chapters 11 and 12 under a different story called either _Somewhere in the Stratosphere_ or _By the Way, I Made It Through Today._ The title is, as of now, undecided. It'll be worth the look though, trust me. **

**Don't ya think the song fits the fic? XD I liked the match, really. Check out my profile in a few days for a playlist to go along with this fic!**

**ThAnKs To AlL oF mY rEvIeWeRs!!: Project Shadow, Elys, RyuuseiRazgriz, ShadowFan100, SUPER SIX FOX, DarkShelby101, Zap the Hedgehog, Trigga Happy Saiyanayo, Memories2share, Naruto the Hedgehog, snowcakes, Rae Logan, Shadlay, Merc, No. 42, and soynicthebeanhog. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! I wish I could give you all a big hug and a Mustang, but certain things (like distance and money XD) limit me XD. Anyways, THANKS SO MUCH!! I never expected this fic to reach 51 reviews and I never could have done it without ya'll!! I live and breath on reviews, so your support has been my lifeline! THANKS A TON!! Look for a complete list of reviewers in the deleted scene.**

**It has brought me so much joy to write this little fic and watch the readers' reactions change. Heh, the funny thing is... this is my first time writing Shadamy EVER! Isn't that strange? XD Well, I really enjoyed it and I hope you did too! I'm going to really miss Thanks to everyone who too the time to read this and God Bless! Until next time... **

**-When darkness falls, heroes will rise-**

**-Swift-**


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